Coexist
by melancholyMisfit
Summary: It had been ten years since the aliens first arrived. Though they preferred to be called trolls as that was their official species. There had been quite a panic when the first few arrived but it was made clear quickly that they actually did come in peace. Their planet was dying and they were simply seeking a planet for their colonies to take refuge. Human!Tavros, T for swearing
1. Chapter 1

Ugh, I wrote some crap and though I might as well share it. If I ever update it will be chapters about this length and will not be very long. I estimate no more than five chapters. GamTav is my OTP and sometimes you've just got to let the feels flow. Enjoy it to the best of your ability.

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter One

It had been ten years since the aliens first arrived. Though they preferred to be called trolls as that was their official species. There had been quite a panic when the first few arrived but it was made clear quickly that they actually did come in peace. Their planet was dying and they were simply seeking a planet for their colonies to take refuge. At first it had only been a few but soon it was normal to see trolls walking around everywhere. They mostly inhabited cities and larger towns. A troll living in rural areas was nearly unheard of. So when Tavros Nitram found himself face to face with a troll he was beyond shocked. He had seen trolls on the news before and they were slowly being worked into sitcoms and movies. But meeting one in person was totally different.  
He was tall probably around six feet. Maybe a little more. He had a mess of long curly black hair atop his head that framed a face covered in white clown makeup. The skin on his arms was a dark grey that looked rough to the touch and he had sharp fangs that poked out over his bottom lip. But what really got to Tavros were his eyes. They were yellow, the iris a shade of deep purple he couldn't quite place. He thought he should probably be scared but he found himself feeling intrigued instead. The troll just stared at him with an unreadable look on his face.  
Tavros had been in the cluster of trees behind his house looking for his dog when he encountered the troll. He had run out of the open door when he'd gotten home and it was going to be dark soon. He'd been calling his name and heard a rustle of leaves and snap of a twig nearby. He immediately went in the direction he'd heard it but it was not Tinkerbull he found.  
Clearing his throat he finally looked away from the trolls eyes. "Sorry, I'm looking for my dog." He said, glancing back up at the taller boy.  
He nodded his head before looking around the area they were standing in. "Need some help?" His voice was deep and gravely and held the hint of a southern accent.  
"Uh, yea, sure. That would be great!" He smiled seemingly taking the troll off guard. "His name is Tinkerbull. Oh, um, and I'm Tavros." He held his hand out and after a moment of hesitation a clawed hand returned the shake. Just as he thought his skin did feel rough but it wasn't unpleasant.  
"Gamzee." He responded. "So, what does the little motherfucker look like?"  
"He's small with white fur. He's really fluffy and has a brown collar around his neck. He usually comes when he hears his name."  
Gamzee nodded as he took off in a different direction. Tavros could hear his gruff voice calling out his dogs name and for some reason it made his heart jump. Their voices got farther from each other and Tavros began to worry until he heard something that made him jump out of his skin.  
"Hey, Tavros! I think I found him!" Gamzee called.  
He quickly went toward the voice until he came to a break in the trees. Sitting in the middle of the small clearing was Gamzee with Tinkerbull curled up in his lap. Letting out a sigh he made his way out of the trees and sat across from Gamzee reaching out to scratch his dog's ear.  
"Jeez, don't run off like that Tink…you scared me." Tavros said earning a sleepy look from the dog. "Thanks for helping."  
"No problem." Gamzee ran a hand over the dog careful of his claws.  
"So, do you live around here or are you visiting?"  
"I just moved here with my moirail." He explained.  
Tavros had to try to remember what a moirail was. Bits of pieces of troll culture had been worked into the school curriculum before Tavros reached high school. He knew their relationships were broken into quadrants but that section of the class had always confused him. He was signed up to take a troll history class this year. They were currently on spring break but he'd be going back in a week.  
"That's the pale one right? Sorry, I'm kind of failing my troll history class." He asked, a light blush coming to his cheeks.  
"Nah, it's cool. Yea it's the pale quadrant. He got sick of living in a busy city so we moved out here instead. His matesprit up and lives with us too." He raised his eyebrows when Tavros perked up.  
"Oh I know that one! That's the love one right?" He grinned.  
Gamzee gave him a fang filled grin. "Yea, that's right." He eyed Tavros from head to toe catching the glimmer of metal in the gap between sock and pants hem. He leaned in closer trying to get a better look.  
"Um, is there something wrong?" Tavros asked, made a little nervous by the trolls actions.  
"Looks like you've got some motherfucking metal on your leg or somethin'."  
Tavros's blush only grew worse as he pulled his leg up and pulled at the pants leg to hide the gap. He adverted his eyes and cleared his throat. "My legs aren't real." He usually tried to keep this a secret from anyone besides his best friends but he couldn't make up an excuse.  
"Not real? What up and happened to your real legs?"  
"Last year I went hiking during the winter with my dad and uncle. I got lost and it was so cold and my clothes got wet so…" He trailed off and cleared his throat again feeling uncomfortable admitting this to a troll he hardly knew. "Well, I got really bad frost bite on both legs and they had to amputate them. I didn't want to live in a wheel chair so I went through months of physical therapy to wear these." He rolled up his pants leg slightly to reveal the metal leg.  
Gamzee nodded and hummed in understanding. "At least you got some pretty motherfucking cool metal legs out of it though, right?" He grinned trying to make the other feel better.  
Tavros smiled and chuckled lightly. "Yea I guess."  
"So, you go to that high school near town?" He asked, setting back on his hands.  
"Yea. I'm a Junior. You?"  
"Mhmm. I'm what you guys call a senior. Eighteen in human years."  
Tavros smiled. He hardly knew the boy but for some reason knowing he'd be going to the same school as him made him excited. It's not that he didn't have friends but Gamzee was just…different. In the best possible way of course.  
"So," Gamzee broke the silence that had set in, "why Tinkerbull?"  
"He's sort of named after the fairy from Peter Pan. I changed it to "bull" to make it more, uh, manly." He admitted, feeling silly.  
"What's Peter Pan?"  
Tav's eyes widened. "You've never heard of Peter Pan? There are movies, books and plays. It's a fantastic story of never wanting to grow up! And then there's the prospect of falling in love and-!" He stopped when he saw the way Gamzee was smiling at him. "Um, it's just really good." His eyes focused on the ground and his voice grew quiet. He usually didn't get so passionate about his likes in front of others for fear they'd make fun of him.  
"Maybe you could tell me more about this Peter Pan. Sounds interesting." Gamzee suggested.  
"Um, well, if you want I can lend you books and movies. Or…we could watch the movie together."  
"Sounds like a motherfucking plan Tav."  
They rose, Tinkerbull reluctantly leaving Gamzee's warm lap. He pulled out his cell phone as they walked towards Tav's house muttering something about his moirail.  
"Hey, Karbro. I'm going to a friend's house to watch a movie." He said into the receiver.  
"What friend? We left all of our friends in the city." The voice on the other end replied.  
"A new friend. One of our neighbors."  
There was a paused. "A human?" he finally asked, uncertainty in his voice.  
"Yea."  
"You sure it's safe?"  
"Hell yea. Tav is a motherfucking cool bro. He's like my…Tavbro." He grinned down at the shorter boy who smiled and blushed.  
"You'd better be right. Sollux and I aren't going to save your sorry ass if you get yourself into trouble. Remember why we left the city."  
"Yea, yea. Relax bro I'll be back later."  
He hung up as the house came into view. Tinkerbull ran ahead of them to wait by the door. Before he could open the back door Gamzee stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  
"Is anyone else home?" He asked, eying the house with a somewhat worried look.  
"Hm? Yea I think my dad is home but my brother is still out."  
"They're not gonna freak the fuck out over a troll being in their house are they?"  
"Well…I don't think so…" He said noticing the worried arch in the troll's eyebrows. "Relax it'll be fine. My family doesn't really judge others." He grinned, opening the door.  
Tinkerbull went inside and straight to his water dish by the door. Gamzee followed him in with his shoulders hunched.  
"Tavros, that you?" A male voice called from somewhere in the house.  
"Yea, I'm back." He called back.  
"Did you find your dog?"  
"Mhmm. I had a little help."  
A tall well built man peeked his head around the corner, his brows furrowing at the sight of Gamzee. He rounded the corner and approached with his chest puffed out.  
"Who's this?"  
"This is Gamzee. He's our new neighbor. He found Tinkerbull for me."  
The man nodded before reaching for Gamzee's hand who warily shook it. "Welp, thanks for helping Tav. He's useless on his own." He teased, ruffling the mohawk atop the boys head. "What are you boys getting up to?"  
Gamzee was thoroughly shocked and barely heard Tav telling his dad they'd be in the basement watching Peter Pan. He finally snapped out of his stupor by Tav waving a hand near his face. "You ok?" He asked.  
"Mhmm. I'm fine. Just a little..shocked is all."  
"By what?"  
"Well, parents don't usually like me hanging out with their kids. Some are still against us living here with y'all."  
"I think trolls are fascinating." He smiled shyly, quickly glancing up at his horns before leading him to the basement. "Do you want anything to drink?" He asked, going to a fridge in the corner of the basement.  
"You got any Faygo?"  
Tavros frowned. "What's that?"  
"It's the best motherfucking pop in existence. When we first came here we were living in Michigan. They always had it there. I haven't been able to find it since we left there."  
"Hm, well I've never heard of it. I don't think it's sold here."  
He sighed and nodded. "I figured as much. What've you got?"  
"We've got coke, sprite and some off brand orange pop."  
"The orange stuff sounds good."  
Tavros grabbed a coke for himself before setting the drinks on the table and moving to put a copy of Peter Pan in the DVD player.  
"Which would you prefer? Cartoon or the 2003 live action?"  
"Whichever is fine."  
Tav opted for the live action before settling back on the couch and pressing play. Throughout the movie he glanced over to see if Gamzee was enjoying it. He really liked Tinkerbell and honked with laughter when she tried to get Wendy killed. He seemed legitimately worried when Hook had Peter nearly defeated and had an unreadable look on his face when a kiss from Wendy saved the day. When the movie was over he stretched and the two talked for another thirty minutes about what he liked and disliked about the movie. As he left he turned back to the younger boy and grinned.  
"Got any plans tomorrow?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
Tav shook his head. "Nope."  
"Well then, how about you show me more of this Peter Pan bro tomorrow?"  
Tavros nodded and waved goodbye as Gamzee headed back to the woods. He'd been apprehensive about meeting any trolls but now he felt silly. Gamzee wasn't any different than him and his friends. He just had grey skin…and claws, fangs, and horns. But those things didn't matter. Not to Tavros at least.

}:o)(o:{

Mkay, first up Tavros will not be a ridiculous shy mess in this. Why? Because that is not Tav. His issue is that he lacks confidence. Being shy, at least in my experience prevents you from doing things. Tavros does things he just second doubts himself. I mean, does no one remember him hitting on Jade? Cause that definitely happened. And as for swearing? Yes guys, he does swear. He's not this innocent little shit everyone makes him out to be. So, if you're looking for adorable baby Tav you won't find him here, mkay?  
He will blush a bit (or a lot) though that's a pretty standard response when you're embarrassed or uncomfortable.  
Also, the lack of Faygo where they are makes perfect sense. I grew up in Michigan and the only other state I've ever found "the wicked elixir" was in Ohio. And even then it's pretty hard to find. The shit is bottled in MI and I was actually pretty shocked when I found that those from other states had never even heard of it. But, my headcanon for Gamzee is that at some point he was in Michigan which is how he discovered Faygo to begin with. I imagine they lived in Detroit for a while before moving to maybe…Chicago? Now excuse me while I walk two blocks from my house to pick up a couple bottles of Faygo…cause I can totally do that. Jelly? ;]


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue this as I hate writing fics that are more than one chapter. But…for some reason I couldn't abandon this. I'm not very proud of the first chapter but long drawn out fics about characters slowly getting to know each other before they become friends is just unnatural. I knew my best friend for two hours before we became inseparable. So, why not let Gamzee and Tavros have a speedy friendship?  
Really this is just an excuse to get to the good fluffy stuff sooner so I can get to OTP kisses and satisfy my fangirling heart. These author notes have no actual point…why are you even reading this? Just go read the chapter…

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter Two

Nearly a week had passed since Tavros first met Gamzee in the woods behind his house. They had spent quite a bit of time together watching different Peter Pan movies and talking quite a bit. His favorite had been the animated one even though the singing annoyed him. He also really enjoyed Tavros's favorite, Hook. As soon as they had worked their way through all of the movies he had Gamzee became interested in the books. Their time together became sitting side by side on the couch in Tavros's basement, or in that clearing in the cluster of trees, reading the books silently. They were quickly becoming friends which, for some reason Tav didn't understand, worried Gamzee's moirail. Today they were going to meet in the clearing before heading to Gamzee's place. He had never been there before and was feeling a bit anxious.  
As he entered the clearing he was surprised to see that Gamzee wasn't there yet. Whenever they agreed to meet there the troll was always ready and waiting for him when he arrived. Tavros wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. He moved to the center of the clearing and sat, taking his book out of the large pants pocket by his calf. He instantly became immersed in the book, everything around him becoming dull and listless. He hardly noticed the trees around him or the slightly chilled wind that passed through him. He was just getting to the part where Wendy wakes up to find Peter crying on her floor because he couldn't reattach his shadow. It wouldn't be long now until Wendy and her brothers were flying alongside Peter to Neverland. He found himself day dreaming as he read imagining that he was the one being swept away to a fantasy world and the strange thing is, he didn't see Peter Pan reaching for his hand to take him away. He saw Gamzee.  
He was startled out of his dream-like state when a pair of warm lips whispered teasing words next to his ear. "You wanna fly away to Neverland with me Tav?" Gamzee chuckled, his hands resting on the boy's shoulders.  
Tavros hoped he didn't notice the way he nearly jumped right out of his skin. He hadn't expected to get so lost in thought. He hadn't even heard him approaching. Relaxing, he put his weight slightly on Gamzee's hands that still held his shoulders.  
"That depends. Do you have a handful of pixie dust in your pocket?" He asked, turning his head to see the other's face.  
"Nah but I do have some other miraculous things in my pants that'll get you feeling like you're motherfucking flying bro." He gave him a sly smile that made Tav's heart skip a beat. A light blush dusted his cheeks and he moved away from the other and stood, dusting dirt off the back of his pants.  
"Very funny Gamz." He said, trying to hide the embarrassment. He had gotten used to Gamzee's innuendo but it still took him off guard when he sounded almost flirty. He picked up his book from where he had dropped it, though he wasn't sure when it had actually left his hands, and placed it back in his pocket.  
"You ready to be meeting my moirail?" Gamzee asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
"Mhmm. Though he does sound a bit intimidating." They had begun walking, Gamzee leading the way.  
He looked back at the other, a grin pulling at his lips. "Nah, Karbro's pretty chill. When he ain't yellin' I mean."  
"Does he yell a lot?"  
"Sometimes. When he's annoyed he does. He's pretty grumpy a lot of the time but he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Never met any other brother that cares for his friends as much as Karkat does."  
Tavros nodded. He was still a little anxious about meeting the troll whose voice he had only heard when he yelled at Gamzee over the phone. However, hearing the way Gamzee talked about him made him relax. He sounded like a good guy and, while he was sure the troll didn't like him already, he was really looking forward to meeting him!  
It wasn't long before they were exiting the trees into Gamzee's backyard. It was empty mostly. There was a unicycle leaning against the back porch and Tavros found him wondering if it belonged to Gamzee or if his friends were as into clowns as he seemed to be. He had yet to see him without his face paint and he honestly didn't know if he ever went without it. He could imagine him sleeping with it on and replacing it as soon as he got out of the shower. And whoa, ok, he was not thinking about Gamzee in the shower. Except, maybe he was a little. He pushed the thought out of his head feeling ridiculous as his cheeks heated with blush. This always happened after Gamzee did that weird flirting thing. It got Tav all riled up and his thoughts would run rampant thinking horrible indecent things about his friend.  
He hardly noticed they had reached the house until Gamzee was holding the back door open for him. Snapping out of his self inflicted trance he entered the house only to find almost all of the lights off. This wouldn't have been a problem had it been a sunny day. But the sky was clouded with the threshold between winter and spring casting the house in shadow. He stumbled forward and felt for a wall.  
"You ok there?" Gamzee asked, closing the door behind him.  
"Yea it's just…dark." He responded turning to see the slightly shadowed figure of Gamzee standing behind him in the narrow hallway.  
"Sorry about that. Trolls have sensitive eyes when it comes to lights. Here." He grabbed the human's hand and pulled him gently along behind him. As they came into the living room there was more light. There were strange lamps in two corners of the room. The shades sprouted from the base of the tall floor lamps nearly covering the low watt bulbs leaving only a small circle of faint light to shine on the ceiling. Even so, it was enough for Tavros to see so Gamzee released is hand and went to poke his head in the kitchen. A series of curses came from the open door followed by a clatter and some sort of weird crackling noise.  
Gamzee came back and lead him over to the couch. "They'll be out in a minute. Karbro's making a mess in the kitchen trying to cook."  
A dish rag suddenly came flying from the other room, smacking Gamzee in the face with a slight cloud of flour erupting from it.  
"I was doing just fine until you showed up you lame excuse for a moirail." A troll no taller than Tavros grumbled as he emerged from the kitchen covered in flour. He removed an apron though it didn't seem to have done him much good. His eyes fell on Tavros who suddenly felt anxious under his piercing glare.  
"Didn't mean to be scaring you or anything. You're pretty jumpy you know." Gamzee dusted the flour from his shirt before grinning at Tavros. "Hey Tav, you don't gotta be so nervous. Relax." He said, ghosting his fingers over the other's cheek.  
Tavros was about to open his mouth to respond when the dish rag that had been placed on the back of the couch began to float, a hue of red and blue surrounding its edges. His eyes widened as his gaze flicked between Gamzee and Karkat who treated it like the most normal thing they had ever seen.  
"Um…" Tavros said, wondering why no one had commented on the flying rag.  
"Dammit Sollux, stop using your psionics to clean up. You're freaking out the human." Karkat yelled as the rag disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later a tall lanky troll wearing red and blue sunglasses came around the corner. He seemed to be eying Tavros from behind his shades though it was hard to tell.  
"Thorry KK. Who'th the human?" He asked with a lisp, his split tongue poking out between his double fangs.  
"This here is Tavros. He's our neighbor." Gamzee said, his arm snaking around his shoulders.  
"Are you the one that'th been filling hith head with that Peter Pan guy?" Sollux asked, crossing his arms.  
"Um…yea…" Tavros responded feeling more than uncomfortable under the stares of the three trolls. Especially with Gamzee's arm holding him tightly.  
"The guy never shutth up about him. Or you for that matter."  
Tavros felt his cheeks warm at that. He hoped that none of them could see it in darkness of the room.  
"S-sorry." He said, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.  
"Jeez don't apologize. At least it's better than him honking his horns at all hours of the night." Karkat spoke up moving to sit on the second couch across from the other. "So, you aren't freaked out being here in all alone in a house with a bunch of trolls?"  
Tavros was shocked by how at ease he seemed now. He seemed tense before and it occurred to him that Karkat may have been just as nervous to meet him. "Should I be? You're not going to eat me are you?" He cracked a smile.  
Gamzee chuckled, Sollux smiled, and Karkat looked as if he was fighting back a smile. "Not with those legs bro. Not enough meat." Gamzee laughed, nuzzling the shaved bits of Tavros's head with his nose and clacking his teeth together by his ear.  
Tavros chuckled feeling strangely warm by Gamzee's actions. Karkat finally cracked a smile, settling back on the couch. "I still don't get why you spend your time with this idiot." He said, nodding his chin toward Gamzee who pretended to look hurt.  
"Aw, come on best friend. You don't mean that." Gamzee grinned, nudging Karkat's foot with his.  
Karkat threw a pillow at Gamzee, hitting him in the chest before crossing his arms over his chest. Sollux came around the couch and sat next to Karkat awfully close.  
"Um, is it just the three of you living here?" Tavros asked, looking around the room.  
"Yea. We used to live with a couple of other friends before we had to leave." Karkat shot a quick glance at Gamzee. "Why do you ask?"  
"Gamzee mentioned before that you lived with your, uh, matesprit so I was just…" Karkat and Sollux exchanged a look.  
"Sollux is my matesprit." Karkat said, a red tint coming to his cheeks.  
Tavros suddenly felt very embarrassed for some reason. He wasn't even considering that Sollux could be his matesprit which just didn't make sense considering that he…well that he wasn't much different than them.  
"Trollth don't have that thtupid "gay" thing you humanth do. We don't shame who we want to spend our liveth with. Gender ithn't even a thecond thought." Sollux explained.  
Tavros nodded his head. He should have known that. Or, he did know it but just wasn't thinking. He often found himself wishing that humans thought that way as well. The only ones who knew about his gender preference were his family and friends. He feared he'd be treated badly if others found out. Especially with the town he lived in. Luckily none of his friends had minded but even coming out to them had been a struggle.  
"You don't gotta explain that shit to Tav. He knows a lot about us, right?" Gamzee asked.  
"Well I'm, uh, sort of failing my troll history class but…I remember some of it."  
"What are your thoughts on that? How do you feel about not caring which gender you're with?" Karkat had this look on his face that wasn't quite angry but he still seemed to be glaring.  
"I don't really…" he cleared his throat. "That is…I'd be the last person to care about that."  
"Really? Why?"  
He suddenly felt like he was being interrogated. "Because I…" A loud beep from the kitchen caught all their attention. Karkat cursed under his breath, running to the kitchen to check the food.  
Tavros relaxed and leaned back into Gamzee's arm once again feeling the comfort it had to offer. Gamzee kind of frowned at him. "Sorry bro, I don't know why he's asking questions like that."  
"No, it's ok." He smiled.  
Karkat poked his head back around the doorway. "Dinners ready…but I can't get the damn thing out of the oven."  
"I got it." Gamzee said, standing a leaving Tavros's shoulder feeling rather uncomfortably cold.

}:o)(o:{

Omg what did I just write? Dx  
I suck at writing these characters holy crap…grasping the personalities of some else's characters is pretty difficult at times. Trying to write as Gamzee isn't the easiest thing either. I'm trying to make Karkat come across correctly. He's not being a jerk he's looking out for Gamzee who is, you guessed it, flushing pretty red for Tavros. Karkat isn't a mean, angry all the time jackass that others make him out to be (successfully avoided putting a Karkat reference there).  
No bitching about the SolKat ship, kay? Originally his matesprit was going to be Terezi but Sollux just kind of elbowed his way in. This isn't to say she won't be in it later as I will probably keep her conflicted relationship with Karkat in there.  
No really, why are you reading this? This is just my ramblings at the end it doesn't even matter…


	3. Chapter 3

For some reason you guys are enjoying this, so here you go…have another chapter.  
Those of you listing the types of Faygo you have in your town or have tried…have none of you tried Rock n' Rye?! It is the absolute best! If you can get your hands on Rock n' Rye Faygo do it now! It's like liquid cherries!  
Alright before I start this let me explain the time line a bit. In the first chapter I said that Tavros was on break and would be going back to school in a week. I imagine it was probably a Thursday when he met Gamzee so it's actually a bit more than a week as he would go back on a Monday. The last chapter would be Wednesday of his last week off. It is now Friday. Get it? Ok…I just hate when the timeline is all sketchy and the days don't add up. And I love consistency. I always go back to check previous chapters if I believe I'm challenging something I said previously. Sometimes I do slip up and if you ever catch this do not hesitate to tell me! An author's note that was actually helpful? That surprises me.

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter Three

Staring up at the sky through the canopy of trees from where he lay on his back made Tavros feel like he was flying. The dark clouds rolled across the sky letting very little light through. It was going to rain, he was sure of that and a distant rumble of thunder only confirmed it. He didn't want to move. He had brought a blanket with him so he wouldn't get dirt all over himself but once the Earth turned to mud it wouldn't do him much good. Still, he didn't care. School was starting back in two days. Tomorrow one of his friends was throwing a party for their last night of break and he was planning to ask Gamzee to go but he hadn't heard from him. Since the day they met they spent at least a few hours a day together. This was the second day after the dinner at his place and he hadn't heard from him since he went home that night. Maybe he had gotten sick of Tavros? His friends seemed to like him but even they wouldn't hang out with him every day. Maybe he didn't really like Peter Pan and all his talking about it and shoving media at him had sickened him. Tavros closed his eyes and tried to calm these thoughts.  
"Stop it…he would have said something. He isn't the type to keep an opinion to himself. Just…for once be confident dammit!" He gave himself a mental pep talk that was interrupted by a few drops of rain landing on his face. He kept his eyes closed making no move to get up and head for shelter. If the storm got bad he would surely go back but for now…this was relaxing.  
The rain began to drown out the sounds around him as it slowly grew to a steady rhythm. He let his hands fall to either side of his head, palms to the sky letting the droplets coat his body entirely. He shivered slightly as the cold finally got to him. He stilled completely, his breath growing shallow as he heard a rustle close by. Normally it was wise to be aware of your surroundings as wild animals in these woods were not unheard of. But in this rain they should all be seeking shelter. Still, he played dead.  
Footsteps squished in the already melting earth quickly alerting him that the other was in fact human. Or human like. Who would be out here besides him? Gamzee? But…he hadn't responded to his text. He wondered if it was his brother trying to scare him. Whoever it was dropped down to sit next to him on the blanket. They shifted and rolled until they were on their side, leaning over Tavros and blocking most of the rain from hitting his face. One hand curled around his and a familiar voice rumbled lowly near his ear.  
"It's not safe to be taking a nap out here." He nearly whispered, his other hand ghosting up to wipe droplets from Tav's face. For some reason he still couldn't open his eyes. "If I don't wake you up soon you'll get sick. Or maybe those fancy leg o' yours will rust." He thought Tavros was sleeping and he couldn't bring himself to inform him that he was in fact awake.  
He tried not to gasp when a thumb traced his lips smearing rain drops across his mouth. He lowered his forehead to press against the others and let out a shaky sigh. What was going on? Gamzee hugged Tavros, put his arm around him when they sat next to each other, held his hand and touched his face and hair more than he needed to. But this was…different. Their breath was mingling and Tavros was finding it hard to continue his façade. He had an uncontrollable urge to grab Gamzee by the ears and ram their lips together in possibly the sloppiest first kiss in existence. He hadn't known him for more than a week but the way he made his stomach flutter was just magical. He wanted to be wrapped in those thin arms and never let go.  
He came back from his thoughts and daydreams when Gamzee began to speak again. "I've never needed to be near anyone like this before. I tried to stay away like they said to see if I could be away from you but I can't. Just one day was like motherfucking torture. I made them hide my phone and turn it off. I locked myself in my room and tried to distract myself with anything but thoughts of you. It's just not working." He stopped and made an audible swallowing sound. "How can I tell you that I want you to by my matesprit?"  
Tavros's breath hitched then though Gamzee didn't seem to notice. He wanted to react. Wanted to roll him over and claim those wonderful lips but how could he? How could he tell him that he was only pretending to sleep? Would he be angry?  
Trembling and cold lips pressed gently against his in a very short kiss that he wouldn't have felt had he really been asleep. His heart rate sped up and it was now impossible for him to stay silent any longer. Slowly he opened his eyes to find those strangely yellow and purple eyes staring back down at him. A light purple blush was visible beneath grey skin and Tavros realized…he wasn't wearing makeup. There were traces of it on his cheeks, nose, forehead and corners of his mouth but the rain had washed the rest away. This was the first time he'd really seen his face and, dammit, he just didn't want to look away.  
Gamzee, having been startled, finally reacted. "I'm sorry…" He said, beginning to roll from him.  
Tavros's fingers clasped tightly around their still intertwined hands, his other hand snatching the back of his neck, stilling his movements entirely. Gamzee's eyes found his again, the confusion very evident in those watery eyes.  
Tavros couldn't speak. He tried but the words just weren't finding their way to his mouth. Gamzee looked nervous, unsure of how much Tavros had heard or if he had felt the kiss. He wanted to pull away and run back to his room and never come out. But the urge to run faded fast as he felt the gentle pull from the hand on his neck. Gamzee followed and it wasn't long before their lips met. Their mouths melted together as Gamzee's hand hesitantly snaked around his middle beneath his back. He shifted his weight partially onto the other holding the rest of himself up with his elbow. He sucked the younger boy's bottom lip into his mouth earning a nearly quiet moan from him. His sharp teeth barely skating over his lip. He licked at his lip before plunging his tongue through parted lips. Tav's hand moved to tangle in damp curly hair. Gamzee's fingers tightened painfully around his as their tongues wove together. It wasn't long until they had to pull apart for air no longer able to breathe only each other. He looked longingly down at his, well, whatever he was. Tavros's lips were slick with their combined saliva.  
"Tav." Gamzee whispered, placing kisses all along his face while chanting his name repeatedly. "I'm flushing so motherfucking red for you." he had stopped at Tavros's ear, tongue darting out the lap at the lobe like he had wanted to so many times in the past.  
"Me too…" he hummed back, running his hand up and down the troll's back.  
"Be my matesprit?"  
"Mhmm." he found it difficult to make words with Gamzee nipping at this jaw line and neck. A loud clap of thunder caused both to startle reminding them of where they were.  
"We should go inside." Tavros whispered, cupping Gamzee's now visible face in his free hand. "We can go to my place."  
Gamzee nodded before placing one last kiss on Tav's lips before standing and pulling the other boy up with him. They gathered the now soaked and muddy blanket before running through the rain hand in hand toward Tav's house.

All of the lights were off in the house as no one else was home. The gentle patter of rain outside now felt comfortable. Tavros pulled him downstairs into the dark basement. He reached for the light dimmer turning it to a low light to prevent hurting Gamzee's eyes. He pulled his hand free, throwing the blanket in the laundry room before emerging with a flustered look on his face. Gamzee closed the distance between them quickly and latched his hands together on the small of Tav's back. He pressed their foreheads together after placing a kiss to the tip of his nose.  
"I don't have any dry clothes." He said, only now realizing that they were dripping on the floor.  
"You can…borrow some of mine." Tavros's voice sounded weak as if talking right now was a struggle.  
"Letting me get into your pants so soon?" He grinned, chuckling softly.  
Normally Tavros would shake off the teasing innuendo but now he could act on his impulses. He pressed his own smiling lips to the others in response. "I'll be right back." He said, pulling from Gamzee's hold.  
He disappeared up the stairs before quickly ascending to his bedroom on the top floor. He closed the door and went to his dresser hastily digging through the drawers for pajamas that would fit Gamzee. He stopped, taking a deep shaky breath, and telling himself to just "calm the fuck down Tavros!"  
Ok so twenty minutes ago he had been sulking alone in the rain thinking he'd messed up their friendship and now he was alone in his house with his new boyfriend. Boyfriend. He let that one sink in. He'd often wondered what it would be like to kiss Gamzee but he never thought it would feel that good. Finally finding clothes for the two of them he quickly stripped out of his wet clothing finding that even his boxers were soaked. Was Gamzee the same? Would he actually have to go through the embarrassing act of offering him his underwear? He tried not to think about it as he quickly dressed and grabbed an extra pair of boxers just in case.  
When he came back down Gamzee was crouched in front of the movie rack, a small puddle forming on the carpet around his feet. Tavros crossed the room and held the pajamas out to him, the boxers hidden between the shirt and pants. Gamzee stood, planting a kiss on Tavros's forehead before heading to the basement bathroom. Tavros suddenly felt awkward and a little worried that the pants would be too short. A moment later Gamzee came out of the bathroom, the pajamas fitting nearly perfectly on his taller frame. The pants fell a little short of his ankles and the t-shirt just barely reached the waistband of the pants. Tavros took his wet clothes and threw everything into the washer with the blanket. When he was done with that he found himself face to face with his boyfriend. For now they were alone and all Tavros wanted to do was fall into his arms and stay there.

};o)(o;{

Ooey gooey fluff…  
I seriously need to find a new editor. I can't keep making my friend read this stuff Dx  
There will not be another time jump in the next chapter. It will follow this one though it will probably be very short. Shorter than this. I just didn't want this chapter to drag on forever. You know how I said this would be no more than 5 chapters? I lied. I have plans for this story now. Though don't expect it to extend past 10 chapters.  
By the way, I'm one of those writers who hate missing typos. So if you find a typo please do not hesitate to tell me! I promise I will not be frustrated! I will give you hugs and Faygo! Even if it's in an author's note please let me know so I can fix it.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the feedback guys! I'm all for constructive criticism, so don't be afraid to tell me what you think! Being showered in compliments is nice, but really don't be scared to let me know if you felt there was something off with a chapter. I mean it.  
Check the bottom A/N for info on the next few chapters. I might possibly have a treat planned for you guys!  
Anyway, on to the chapter!

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter Four

Ok this was…awkward. The two boys sat side by side on the couch watching Hook, not touching, not looking at each other, just sitting. Tavros had pulled his feet onto the couch, hugging his artificial legs to his chest. He glanced over at the other boy who was sprawled out on the end of the couch. He didn't seem to be affected like Tav was. He was calm, eyes focused on the movie, sitting in a relaxed position as if he wasn't mere inches from his boyfriend. Or matesprit. Whatever.  
He didn't realize he'd been staring until Gamzee's eyes locked with his. He grinned, showing pointed fangs. Tavros blushed and looked away, a weak smile on his lips. He could hear Gamzee moving next to him and the next thing he knew he was being pulled against his chest, held by slender arms. He cuddled into him, his arms going around his middle in a hug. Gamzee placed his lips to the top of his head and trailed gentle kisses down to his ear. He nipped at the tanned lobe before sucking it into his mouth. Tavros squirmed against him.  
"Gamzee…what are you doing?" He chuckled as the other's tongue explored the sensitive skin.  
"You smell so motherfucking good. I just want to eat you up." He hummed, sucking at caramel flesh down his neck to his shoulder.  
Tav bit his lower lip and sat up, straddling one of Gamzee's legs. His artificial knee careful to stay away from the sensitive area between his legs. He leaned forward and hesitated, lips close enough to touch. He took a deep breath to calm himself before pressing their mouths together. Mouths moved against each other as teeth nipped at tongues and lips. Gamzee enjoyed the faint taste of peanut butter in Tavros's mouth. The younger boy absolutely adored peanut butter sandwiches and ate one almost every day for lunch. Gamzee had yet to convince him to try one with grape jelly though he was wearing him down.  
They were completely lost in each other. Hands tangled in hair while tongues rolled and pushed against each other. They almost hadn't heard the sound of the front door opening before slamming shut. Tavros quickly pulled away from his boyfriend at the sound of his name being called. He was off his lap in a matter of seconds and nearly at the other end of the couch wiping saliva from his lips.  
"Hey Tav, you home?" His brother called from the hallway.  
"Yea! I'm down here!" He called back, straightening his clothes and smoothing his mohawk back down.  
His brother descended the stares, his girlfriend Damara following behind him, and shot a sideways glance at Gamzee. He was used to seeing him here by now and wasn't surprised in the least to find him there. "Dad's gonna be home late. He wants us to order pizza for dinner."  
"K."  
"You gonna stay for dinner?" Rufioh asked, turning away from the flushed face of his younger brother.  
"As long as it's cool with you guys." He replied, glancing between the two Nitram boys avoiding the narrowed eyes of the Asian girl standing beside the older of the two.  
"I think you practically live here by now. It's cool with me and I'm sure it's cool with Tav." He turned back to his girlfriend who was still sizing up Gamzee. "Come on doll, let's go order some grub and get comfortable."  
The two disappeared back up the stairs leaving them alone again. Tavros let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. His hands snapped up to cover his eyes and burning cheeks.  
"You ok there Tav?" Gamzee asked, leaning across the couch and wrapping his fingers around one wrist. He tugged at the wrist until one hand came down to reveal a crimson cheek.  
"My brother almost…saw that." He said with a grimace.  
Gamzee grinned, leaning it to place a kiss at the corner of his mouth. "Then maybe next time we could go to my place." He practically whispered. "Karbro and Sol won't disturb us if we're in my motherfucking room."  
Tav's eyes widened at that, his other hand falling away from his face. Turning to look at the other he tried to hide how embarrassed that thought had made him. He had seen Gamzee's room when he'd been to his place. It had pretty much been exactly what he had been expecting. The top of his dresser was littered with clown makeup and empty plastic pop bottles. More bottles were on the floor near his bed and he had what looked to be a collection of bike horns piled up in the corner. His bed was disheveled as if he had never actually made it and instead just threw the blankets on and slept in a nest of purple. While it was messy Tavros didn't mind. It was just so completely Gamzee.  
He'd felt comfortable there. But they had just been friends then. Being alone in his boyfriend's room now had…implications. What would they do there? Here they had a couch to sit on and TV to watch movies as if they were just hanging out. But in his room all there was to sit on was…his bed. It would be weird to just sit on the floor or pull out his desk chair. His head was swimming with the images invading his every thought.  
Gamzee had cupped his jaw in one hand, running his thumb along the soft area where his hair had been shaved away. "Now that I think about it I haven't been all up in your room yet." His voice was low and husky sending a shiver down Tav's spine.  
"Um, well, my room isn't anything special." He said rather quickly, the words tumbling out of his lips.  
"Of course it is." He pressed a kiss to his temple. "So, can I see it?"  
Between the kisses he was receiving all over his face and the impure thoughts running through his head he was finding it next to impossible to speak. Finally he made a decision and found his voice though it came out shaky and quiet.  
"I guess…I can show you." Gamzee's grin widened at that as he stood, pulling Tav up off the couch with him.  
He followed Tavros up the two flights of stairs, passed the living room where the others sat, until they were on the top floor of the house. Four doors lined the walls of the hallway, the one at the very end leading to his room. He found himself walking slowly down the hallway as if trying to prolong the inevitable. His hand was on the door and before he knew it they were standing in the open doorway. He stepped in allowing Gamzee to walk past him. He'd been wondering what he should do about the door when the other closed it behind him making the decision for him. He stood in the middle of the room and took in his surroundings. The bed was half heartedly made, still showing signs of being slept in. Cards from some of the games he played cluttered his desk but other than that his room was pretty organized. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw Gamzee parked himself on the edge of the bed and grinned rather mischievously at Tav. He beckoned with his index finger for the other to come closer. Tavros stiffly stepped forward, still out of his reach. Gamzee cocked an eyebrow and reached his hand out to him. He hesitated before taking his hand and yelped as he was pulled forward onto the bed. He sat on Gamzee's lap, straddling his thighs and feeling beyond embarrassed in the thin pajamas. While he didn't have a problem, yet, it would be painfully obvious should one develop.  
Gamzee's mouth was on his neck within seconds licking and nipping at the soft skin. Not knowing what else to do Tavros gripped his shoulders and tried to sit still. He kissed up his neck to his jaw and finally to his lips claiming the other's mouth with his. It wasn't long before they were as heated as they had been moments before in the basement. Gamzee had lowered until his back was on the bed, Tavros's weight pressing down on him. Tan hands were working through the tangles in black curly hair. He'd wondered for a while now what a troll's horn felt like but was too afraid to touch one. He carefully avoided them though it was a difficult task with the way Gamzee was sucking on his tongue. The troll's hands were under the back of his shirt, rough skin kneading and exploring the flesh.  
Unable to deny his lungs air any longer Tav separated his mouth from his boyfriend's and instead decided to experiment. Slowly he moved to place a soft kiss on his neck. The grey skin felt strange against his lips. It was rough and dry but soft and so warm. If he were human he'd most definitely be running a fever at this temperature but he knew from the hugs and touches that his skin was always this warm. Feeling more daring, his low confidence being the farthest thing from his mind, he ran a tongue up the length of his neck, nipping softly with his teeth. This earned him an approving hum as arms came around him tightly. Gamzee cupped his ass with both hands, pulling his lower half closer. Tavros sat up as far as he could while being held down, gasping as his lower half rubbed against the other. His eyes met with Gamzee's who was smiling like a fool. His cheeks were fully flushed with a purple tint and he was panting slightly as he still fought to catch his breath.  
Tavros couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of confidence that washed over him as he realized that he had done this to Gamzee. He was the reason he was out of breath. He caused him to blush a deep purple. He had brought that goofy grin to his face and that satisfied look to his eye. He placed a soft kiss to his lips before cuddling into his chest.  
The doorbell sounded down stairs followed by footsteps and shuffling. It wasn't long before Rufioh was calling up the stairs telling them that dinner had arrived.  
After calming down enough to make their flushing faces less noticeable they went to join the others in the living room. They ate, chatted and watched mindless TV. When their dad came home he talked with Gamzee about how trolls lived and how he liked the town. Tavros switched their clothing to the dryer before joining them once more to find his dad telling a rather embarrassing story about his youth. Rufioh drove Damara home when it got late and their dad went to bed. They were alone again when the dryer buzzed announcing that their clothes were finished.  
"I guess you're clothes are done. You can…go home now." It was still raining but not as hard as it had been before.  
Gamzee stood close to Tavros, pressing their foreheads together. "Or I could stay here for the night." He said as he ran his hands down Tav's back to press against his ass.  
"You can stay as long as you don't get too handsy." Tav joked. "We don't need anyone hearing anything going, uh, bump in the night." He grinned.  
Gamzee cocked an eyebrow and grinned wide enough to hurt his cheeks. "Ah, now that might be a deal breaker." Their lips met in a slow sweet kiss before they went back up to Tavros's room.  
They spent the next hour cuddling under the covers and talking about all different things. At some point both gave into sleep tightly tangled in each other's arms.

}:o)(o:{

This chapter is crap…I'm sorry. I couldn't get it to flow the way I wanted to. It's mostly just relationship development and set up for the next few chapters. And fluff. Mostly just fluff.  
Alrighty, so my current editor is my best friend and I feel bad asking her to edit anything like this. i.e. bordering on NSFW. Now, I'd love to give you guys a nice tasty scene in chapter 6 (I've already got plans for chapter 5) but in order to do that I need an editor for that chapter! If you are interested please send me a message. You'll need to feel comfortable providing an email address and check your email often. I'm not just looking for an editor for the chapters in this story but for all of my NSFW things. I've written a one-shot DaveJohn fic someone requested. You'll have to be accepting of many ships, sometimes containing one or more girls depending on what kind of request comes in.  
All you'll need to do is check for typos and let me know if something sounds weird or doesn't make sense. Easy right? So please let me know if you're willing to help! More than one editor would even be nice so that I'm not flooding one person with one-shots I've been churning out. My friend will continue to edit the other chapters of this fic and the SFW fics I write so this is only for the NSFW things, kay?  
You know you want the yummy PBJ sexy times ;D


	5. Chapter 5

Ahaha I haven't even posted the fourth chapter yet. Why m I already writing this? Well good news for you guys I guess. Maybe this is a double update day or something? I just kind of feel like writing and, while I have many ideas for other Homestuck fics, I don't feel like starting anything else. Let's hope this chapter is better than the last, yea? And hey, if I have an NSFW editor by this point then this chapter may just be leading up to some sweet between the sheets action (I totally just waggled my eyebrows I wish you guys could have seen it). I've been awake for seventeen hours…so please forgive me if I'm a little…off at the moment.

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter Five

Tavros woke that morning feeling incredibly warm and comfortable. He'd forgotten momentarily in his sleep impaired state that he was not alone in bed. Strong, thin arms were wrapped tightly around his waist holding him against a hard, warm chest. He snuggled in closer, if that was actually possible, and smiled feeling completely content. Thick clouds blocked out the mid-morning sun leaving the room darker than it would normally be at this time of day. A few moments later the troll stirred from his sleep. He hesitated as if he too had forgotten where he was and who he was with. He sighed with an audible smile on his face as he shifted, pulling Tavros onto his chest as he sank back onto the pillows. They lay silently for a long while just listening to the other breathe.  
Gamzee's phone interrupted the peaceful silence as Karkat's ringtone rang out from the tiny speaker. He grunted, reaching over Tavros to the bedside table to grab his phone. He flipped it open and was instantly assaulted by screamed words on the other side.  
"-if that asshole got himself into trouble I swear to God I will beat the ever loving _shit_ out of him!" he yelled loud enough for both to hear the words clearly.  
Gamzee held the phone away from his ear. "Hey Karbro, what's up?"  
"Gamzee! Where the fuck are you?!" Karkat demanded.  
"I'm at Tav's place. Got caught in the motherfucking rain last night and decided to stay here."  
"Well that's just fine and dandy for you but did it even cross your mind for a second to text me and tell me you wouldn't be here in the morning?!"  
"Slipped my mind. I was…distracted."  
"Oh my God. I do _not_ need to hear about you boning your human matesprit. Next time you're not coming home remember to fucking call me or text me so I don't wake up to find your room empty!" He huffed a quick breath before continuing his tirade. "Who knows what could have happened to you? You zone out like a fucking moron every five seconds and could easily get yourself thrown in prison or killed!"  
Gamzee was smiling despite the ongoing lecture from Karkat. He nuzzled the top of Tavros's head against his cheek and hummed when Karkat demanded to know if he was listening.  
"Look, just text me if you're not coming home tonight so I at least know where you are." He finished, his voice settling into a frustrated grumble.  
"You don't gotta be motherfucking worrying about me bro. But I promise I'll let you know next time." He mumbled a goodbye before hanging up and dropping the phone next to him on the bed. He pressed his face into Tav's mohawk and sighed, breathing in the scent of his shampoo.  
"We should probably get up." Tavros groaned trying to sit up. His attempts were thwarted by Gamzee's arm pulling him back down.  
"Not yet."  
"But it's almost noon. I'm hungry." He whined.  
"We can order food."  
"I don't think they'll deliver to my bedroom." He laughed, placing his hand on Gamzee's cheek and stroking his thumb across his cheekbone.  
Gamzee smiled and groaned before connecting their lips for only a moment. He finally released Tavros and both sat up reluctantly getting out of bed. Tonight was Nepeta's party. He had invited Gamzee last night and he seemed to be very excited even though it was most certain he'd be the only troll there.  
As they came down the stairs they were assaulted by the different combined smells of food being prepared. His dad didn't work on Saturdays so he always cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner. He barely gave you time to digest one meal before he was filling you up with more food. By the end of the day Tavros always felt full and sleepy. Rufioh waved Gamzee into the living room while Tavros went to the kitchen.  
His dad was at the stove stirring something that sizzled and popped. Even with the remnants of breakfast still in the room mixing with this new dish it still smelled delicious. His stomach growled alerting his dad to his presence. He turned and grinned at his son, beckoning for him to join him by the stove.  
"You slept awfully late." He commented, keeping his eyes on the dish he was working on.  
"We stayed up late last night."  
"Doing what?"  
"Talking."  
"Hm. That's all?"  
"Yea…why?"  
"Just wondering what you two were up to." The room was silent for a moment save for the noises of food cooking. Finally he seemed to sort out what he was thinking and spoke. "You know I love you, right?" He asked, placing an arm around his shoulders.  
Tav looked up at him with a bit of shock. "Of course I do." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He hadn't the slightest idea what had brought that on.  
"So you know you can tell me anything at all?"  
"Yea I know."  
"Alright then. You'll have no problem answering some questions then."  
"I…guess not?"  
"Is Gamzee your boyfriend?" Tavros couldn't resist physically reacting to that. He flinched and let out a breath of air that almost sounded like a scoff though it was more the sound of him choking on air.  
"What? Why are you asking that?" His voice cracked as it rose an octave higher than it normally was.  
"Because he's been here every day for over a week now and spent the night in your bed."  
His face paled as his mouth suddenly dried out. When he made no signs of responding his dad continued.  
"It's not a problem if he is. I've known for a long time now that you…well, don't like girls. I don't care that he's a troll either. I'd just like to know what's going on in your life and who you're seeing."  
Tavros nodded whilst trying to find his voice. "He is. My boyfriend I mean."  
"Thought so." Neither looked at each other both feeling rather awkward. His dad cleared his throat then, patting Tavros's shoulder. "Welp, he's welcome here whenever. Same rules for you as your brother. Clothes stay on at all times in this house."  
Tavros blushed and nodded. Still feeling awkward he visibly relaxed as he wrapped his arms around his dad in a sideways hug. "Thanks."  
Gamzee came into the kitchen then feeling instantly like he had intruded on a private moment. Tavros released his dad and went to the cabinet pulling out some glasses.  
"You want some coffee? Or juice?" He asked Gamzee.  
"Juice is fine." He replied, feeling oddly uncomfortable standing in the kitchen. With is boyfriend's dad. Wearing his boyfriend's pajamas. After having spent the entire night cuddling in his boyfriend's bed. It was easier with trolls. They didn't have parents. And it was incredibly uncommon to have a lusus now.  
"There's still some leftover breakfast over there. Help yourself. Lunch won't be ready until close to two." Tav's dad explained still keeping his eyes glued to the food in front of him.  
They piled up plates with food before heading into the dining room to eat their breakfast.

Rufioh's car pulled up the empty spot down the street from Nepeta's house. Both sides of the street were lined with cars of those they went to school with. Gamzee found himself feeling anxious. He'd asked Sollux and Karkat to come with him so he wouldn't be the only troll but it was difficult getting Karkat to socialize. Especially with humans. And Sollux didn't really want anything to do with them. The four felt completely full. Damara had been roped into eating dinner with them and was now regretting it.  
They exited the car and began their short walk to the house. Music streamed from inside the house while a medley of voices yelled to be heard over the rhythm. The front door stood open, some people spilling out onto the wraparound porch. Nepeta could be seen sitting precariously on the rail of the porch talking with two others. She glanced over when she saw them walking up the lawn. Her face lit up when she saw them. Swinging her legs over the rail she hopped down onto the grass before running to pull Tavros into a bone crushing huge.  
"Oh my God Tav! Where have you been? I haven't seen you since the beginning of break!" She complained.  
"Sorry. I've been, uh, busy." He said, resisting the urge to look at Gamzee.  
The two she'd been talking to, Aradia and Feferi, made their way down the stairs and towards to small group. The similarities between Aradia's and Damara's appearance were extremely apparent tonight. Usually Aradia dressed more conservative than her sister but it looked like she'd let her dress her up for the party. Her long, wild hair was pulled back into a messy bun held into place with what looked to be chopsticks. Her dress had an oriental theme with dragons and a slit in the side that nearly went to her hip. She looked very pretty though her cheeks held a noticeable blush when Tavros looked her up and down.  
"You look nice." He grinned as he pulled her into a hug.  
"Thank you. I was a little worried about dressing this way. But I wanted to look nice for the party." She responded hugging her lifelong friend.  
They'd met when they were very young and Tavros didn't have any other friends. They quickly became inseparable. As they grew older they found they liked many of the same things. On weekends they sometimes got together with a few other friends to LARP. She also enjoyed many of his table top games though sometimes she didn't understand the rules. Feferi was the only one not fixated on Tavros. Instead she was chatting with Gamzee.  
"Oh, they're very neat! I wish I had horns! The colors are very pretty!" She was saying in her normal overly excited manner.  
"Yea I guess they're pretty great." He chuckled, seemingly enjoying her enthusiasm.  
"I've heard that trolls have very sharp teeth. Is it true?"  
Instead of answering, Gamzee just opened his mouth in a wide grin revealing pointed teeth. She gasped and leaned in closer to get a better look. "That's amazing! Just like a shark!" She turned to Tavros with a pout. "Why didn't you tell us you were friends with a troll?"  
"I…didn't think about it?" He tried, shrugging his shoulders.  
Nepeta and Aradia were now fixated on Gamzee as well. The three shot questions at him while Tavros stood awkwardly to the side feeling embarrassed for his friends. Tavros had been excited to meet a troll as well but he hadn't asked this many questions! Right? He tried to remember their first conversation, completely drowning out the noises around him. He was brought back by a particularly interesting question.  
"Sorry if this is personal, but have you filled your quadrants? I know a bit about the concept but it would be fascinating to hear it directly from a troll." Aradia said, an enthusiastic smile on her red painted lips.  
Gamzee grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "I kind of had a kismesis-like relationship with a chick a while ago. And I've got a moirail." He started. "I live with him and his motherfucking matesprit."  
"Oh, do you have a matesprit?" Nepeta asked.  
"Yea." He said simply, stopping himself from looking at Tavros. He wasn't sure if he'd want his friends to know about them.  
"Do they live with you? Or are they back in the city? Is it a boy or a girl? Human or troll?" Nepeta fired off questions, not giving Gamzee much time to answer.  
"Uh…" He smiled sheepishly. Unable to hold back any longer his eyes landed on Tavros whose face was bright red in blush.  
The three followed his gaze to Tavros. Something seemed to click almost instantly in them as they let out a harmonized "Ooooooh."  
Tavros shifted nervously from one foot to the other, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. An awkward silence hung in the air. Luckily, Nepeta, queen of shipping, broke out into an ear piercing squee.  
"OhmygoshTavros!" She gushed. "That is just so cute!" She pulled his arm until he was standing next to Gamzee. "Just look at you two! Oh I absolutely need a picture for my wall!"  
"Wall?" Gamzee asked.  
"Shipping wall…" Tavros said quietly, eyes fixed on the ground. "Nepeta, please stop." He pleaded.  
"Alrighty, calm down now. You can get your picture later after we get a few drinks into Tavros and he's less embarrassed." Aradia said as she walked Nepeta away only looking back to wink at the blushing boy.  
Feferi giggled. "Well come on boys, this is a party! Let's have some fun!"  
They followed her up to the porch and through the front door.  
The inside of the house was full of people from school. Tavros recognized some but others were completely unknown even though some nodded at him like they knew him. So far at least ten people had physically reacted to seeing Gamzee there. Their eyes grew wide, jaws dropped and they usually swatted the arm of someone nearby to look. He kept glancing at Gamzee to see if he felt uncomfortable but his expression was unreadable. He wore his face paint again which only made it more difficult to tell what expression he was trying to convey with that painted on smile.  
When a girl loudly gasped and all but shouted "OhmyGod is that a troll?" Tavros bumped Gamzee's hand with his. Gamzee smiled at him before lacing their fingers together. They finally reached the sitting room inside the large house and claimed the only seats left. Feferi took the chair that sat awkwardly near the side of the couch. Gamzee and Tavros sat on the small loveseat, their legs pressed together in the limited space.  
Feferi, unable to silence her curiosity, went back to questioning Gamzee. "So why did you decide to move here of all places?"  
"My moirail got sick of the people in the city. Said they were too motherfucking selfish."  
"Do you like it here at least? I know the town doesn't have much to offer and the houses are so far apart."  
"Nah, moving here was one of the best things we could have done. I've found plenty of miraculous things here." He looked at Tavros who was busy studying the fibers in his hoodie sleeve feeling very embarrassed sitting this close to Gamzee.  
Feferi seemed to swallow back the "aw" that wanted to escape. It took her a minute to regain her composure to continue. "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you two known each other?"  
"A week." Tavros said quietly feeling slightly foolish for becoming smitten so quickly.  
Seemingly reading the next question on Feferi's expression Gamzee spoke up before she could. "It's normal for trolls to get attached to someone quickly. Sometimes it takes a while for a relationship to be confirmed but I tend to be impatient." He grinned giving Tav's still interlaced hand a soft squeeze.  
Aradia reappeared then with drinks in hand. She handed one to Tavros and offered the other to Gamzee. He gave the bottle a strange look before taking it.  
"It's beer." Aradia answered his unasked question. "You know, alcohol?"  
"You mean the stuff that makes those humans go crazy in those movies?"  
"Among other things, yes. Just drink it slow."  
She situated herself on the arm of Feferi's chair and watched as Gamzee took an experimental sip. It took him a moment to figure out if his liked it. Deciding he did in fact like it, he took a small swig before raising an eyebrow at Tav who had just taken three large gulps. Aradia grinned. He wasn't sure why she liked getting him drunk but for some reason he couldn't say no to her. And he kind of liked how light and giggly he felt after a few beers.  
About an hour later his cheeks were flushed, his eyelids were heavy and he leaned against Gamzee as if he didn't care about the looks they got from those walking through. The troll's arm was tightly wound around his shoulders, though that was mostly to keep him on the couch. He leaned against his chest, his metal and plastic legs curled up on the couch behind him. One arm squeezed between his back and the couch to drape over his shoulder while the other, the one holding his fifth beer bottle, was strewn across his stomach. While Gamzee was not as far gone as his matesprit was, he did feel a little light headed. Tavros was rambling to Aradia about some guy from their schooled named Dave. He didn't seem to like him very much and the girls backed up his every word with more unfavorable comments on the boy.  
Somewhere during his speech they'd gotten onto the topic of teachers from school that they hated. They hardly noticed the boy that stood between the two pieces of furniture, a dorky grin on his face. Finally, Aradia became aware of his presence and smiled.  
"There you are John! We were wondering where you got off to." She said, handing him one of the many bottles she'd brought in from the kitchen.  
"Sorry I had to pick up a friend." He responded before looking at the drunk Tavros. "Hey buddy, looks like I missed the fun already." He laughed before glancing at the human pillow. Or…not-so-human pillow. "Hey, aren't you a-?"  
"No. No more questions. You guys are so nosy." Tavros whined, nuzzling his cheek against Gamzee's chest.  
"Sorry bro, just curious is all." John said, putting his hands up in surrender.  
"That's Gamzee." Feferi spoke up. "Tavros's new beau." She grinned behind her bottle.  
"That would explain his possessive clinging."  
"Possessive clinging?" Gamzee asked.  
"Mhmm. Whenever Tav gets drunk he clings to the person he likes or is dating as if to say 'back the fuck off, he's mine!'"  
"I do not." Tavros defended himself without moving from his spot.  
"Oh you definitely do." A female voice said before coming to link her arm with John's. "I've been a victim many times in the past. Isn't that right, lover boy?" She winked.  
Tavros leaned back slightly, pointing a finger at the girl. "Yes but you get violent. I still have the bruises to prove it Vriska."  
"Oh you do not! We haven't dated for nearly two years!" She bumped John with his hip. "I'm beating up on this one now." She kissed his cheek leaving a dark blue stain.  
Gamzee decided not to ask Tavros about that right now. However, he was curious why he had switched from girls to boys. Especially since Vriska was no pretty. Though she had a mischievous, almost evil looking, grin that only highlighted her sharp eyes. Once again they were deep in conversation until yet another person joined their group.  
"Dave, where have you been?" John asked as a blonde boy wearing sunglasses entered the room. Why he was wearing sunglasses indoors and at night was a mystery.  
Gamzee could feel Tavros's body stiffen at the mention of his name. Was this the same Dave they'd been talking about earlier? He avoided eye contact and instead focused his attention on picking little fuzz balls off of Gamzee's hoodie. He ran a hand over the short mohawk trying to coax him into relaxing again. Tavros's head fell against his chest under his chin as he cuddled in closer, breathing in the trolls scent. His eyelids suddenly felt heavy as he gave up on his task and instead let his hand rest flat against Gamzee's stomach. It was hard to ignore the sudden tension in the room when Tavros's name came into the conversation.  
"Tav found a new cuddle buddy though! So that's good!" John chuckled innocently.  
Dave's hidden gaze landed on Tavros and Gamzee as his face remained stoic. Aradia's protective side kicked in then as she felt the need to defend Tavros from unspoken words.  
"Not just a cuddle buddy dear John." She said in an overly sweet voice. "Gamzee is his boyfriend, his matesprit, his lover." She smiled directly at Dave.  
"Well I think that's pretty obvious!" John laughed, not understanding her intent.  
Tavros hardly heard the conversation as he began to slip into unconsciousness. Gamzee stopped petting his hair and tipped his chin up to look at his face. Tav's eyes opened sluggishly as he groaned at being moved at all.  
"Wake up sunshine. We should get you home." He said, shifting and forcing Tav to sit up on his own.  
"What? But I'm having fun." He yawned.  
"You're falling asleep. How much fun can you be having when you're asleep?" Gamzee grinned at the adorable pouting face of his boyfriend. He placed a very quick kiss to his outturned lip before straightening up again.  
He stood, pulling Tavros onto wobbly legs. He wrapped his arm around his back just below his arms to keep him steady. They said their goodbyes and, for reasons he didn't yet understand, he intentionally bumped Dave's arm on his way out of the room mumbling a false apology.  
In the span of five minutes he was able to locate Rufioh and place Tavros in the backseat of the car with him. He cuddled into Gamzee and drifted, or rather fell face first, into a beer induced sleep.

}:o)(o:{

OMG I'm not even done writing this chapter yet and I just…what's with the awkward moments, really? I imagine Rufioh was giving Gamzee the "big brother talk" in the other room while Tav was talking to his dad. I wanted to have a sort of sweet moment between the two since parents are usually an after thought in fanfictions. In case you haven't realized, their father is Summoner. I don't know why he likes to cook. That sort of just…happened. Ugh I'm horrible. Ok I'm going to try to finish this chapter without smashing my head into the keyboard.

I gave into sleep before writing any further than them eating breakfast…but I did leave myself a note. I don't remember writing it and I'm crying reading it. I'm so fucking nice to myself guys. I'm not gonna copy the whole note just know it starts "They go to the party. Don't forget this you tired piece of shit." Ahaha ok I'm going to finish writing this now.  
Omg, I think that was the first time I slipped any variation of "miracle" into this…ugh. I'm trying to stay away from Gamzee clichés which is harder than you'd think. Dave is not a bad guy! I'll get to that later. He's the same old Dave we all know and love. He and Tavros just don't get along for very specific reasons. By the way, I don't recommend chugging your beer like Tavros pretty much does. I don't know about others but it burns my throat. I hate beer but I get roped into playing drinking games from time to time and one punishment is to chug the remainder. It's horrible.  
And don't drink if you're underage kids! I'm legal (in a month anyway…aha…bad example I'm sorry).  
Remember, you want the tasty GamTav in the next chapter? Someone come edit for me!  
Thank you random guest for the pointing out the issue with "Saturdays"! I appreciate it!


	6. Chapter 6

Okay guys, you seriously need to stop. You're too nice. This story really isn't even that great. I really wish I could just hug all of you though! You're so sweet! I really appreciate the continued support!  
Anyhow, I'm now on AO3 if you prefer to read there. I don't know when I'll actually be uploading everything there…I will eventually I guess. Updates will be posted on both sites as soon as I catch up with the chapters on AO3.  
I'm getting out of my novelist norm and formatting this chapter a bit differently. Please let me know if this is easier for you guys to read or if you'd like me to go back to the old format. I really prefer to write the other way but I'm not the one reading it. So please give me your opinion on the spacing and tell me which you prefer.

};o)(o;{

Coexist  
Chapter Six

It was only eleven when they arrived back at the house. The party had started at an early hour and it hadn't taken long for Tavros to get to this state much to Gamzee's surprise. They discussed what to do about the completely wasted Tav that now lay sprawled across his lap in the backseat on the ride home. Deciding it was better to hide his drunken state from his dad they were dropped off at Gamzee's place. Thankfully their dad hadn't noticed when they drove past their house to get to his. He'd called ahead to ask Karkat to help get him inside as he was sure he couldn't do it on his own and he didn't want to trouble Rufioh any further. Especially since Damara had given him a hard time about leaving the party in the first place. It was a struggle just to drag him out of the car as they nearly dropped him about seven times. Karkat cursed profusely as he was forced to support most of the boy's weight until Gamzee could take him. Rufioh left, headed back to the party, wishing Gamzee luck. And luck was definitely what he'd need.

They had managed to wake him a bit but he was still sluggish and unable to stand on his own. Giving up on getting him to walk Gamzee lifted him onto his back and carried him to the house. His head rested sideways on his shoulder; his breath tickled his ear and neck with each exhale. The goosebumps that appeared on his skin tingled ever so slightly. They were still in the stage Aradia had called the "Honey Moon Stage" so being this close to Tavros was a struggle. He wanted to swing him around so they were face to face and kiss him until he couldn't make coherent sentences. Of course he wouldn't be doing that just yet.

Sollux cocked an eyebrow at them when they came into view of the living room. "What the hell happened to him?" He asked, coming to join them at the entrance.

"He had a little too much to drink." Gamzee said, readjusting his hold on the other's thighs.

"A little?" Karkat scoffed. "He looks like he drank the whole damn liquor cabinet."

"I'm gonna take him upstairs. He's pretty heavy for a little guy." He shifted his legs once more before reminding the half unconscious boy to hold on tight while they climbed the stairs.  
Somehow they made it to his room without Tavros falling off his back or Gamzee collapsing. He carefully set him on the bed before going to his dresser to find pajama pants. He usually slept in his boxers so he didn't have many pairs. Though the pants he wore on a daily basis might as well have been pajama pants. He turned back to Tavros who was leaning back on his hands, watching Gamzee. He hadn't the slightest idea when he had fully woken up though he was grateful that he had.

"Here." He said, tossing a pair of pajama pants to him. "You might want to change into these before you pass out again."

Tavros kept his eyes on Gamzee as he let the pants fall to the bed beside him. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were only partially opened as he watched the other. Gamzee stared back at the intoxicated boy and grinned. Absolutely everything he did was so unbelievably adorable that he felt butterflies attack his stomach in a tirade every time he looked at him. He crossed the room to squat in front of his boyfriend, his elbows resting on his knees. He smiled up at him causing a wide grin to spread across Tavros's face.

"You're not going to tell me you're too drunk to change your clothes, are you?" He asked, cocking at eyebrow.

"Yes. I think I need some help." A mischievous smirk came to his lips as he leaned forward until their faces were mere inches apart.

Gamzee stretched his neck to claim the other's lips as their tongues slowly rolled together. He gripped Tav's hips in both hands before sliding his hands down his thighs and up again. His fingers found their way to the boy's belt making quick work of it before moving to the button of his pants and then the zipper. Tavros lifted himself off of the bed so that Gamzee could shimmy them off. He kicked off his shoes so they could be pulled completely off and discarded somewhere on the floor. Their lips broke apart as eyes met in a heated gaze.

"Where are those pajama pants?" Gamzee asked, fingers roaming over bare thighs.

"Does it matter?"

Gamzee couldn't help a low chuckle. Sober Tavros would never be this forward. Maybe this was why Aradia had been so insistent on him drinking more. She'd practically forced the beer bottles into his hands even after he said he'd had enough. He couldn't complain now of course. Part of Tavros's brain was still coherent enough to know that the alcohol had an effect on him but he didn't mind one bit. Normally he wouldn't be able to make his intensions clear to Gamzee. He'd be too afraid of being rejected or worry that his body was unsatisfactory. His left hand stroked through coarse black curls as he held his boyfriend's loving gaze. His thumb brushed against the base of one horn sending a shudder through the troll's body.

His interest peaked as he ran his thumb over the horn again. More shudders rippled through his body as he stood, pushing Tavros back onto the bed and claiming his mouth once more. Tav's thumb and index finger circled the brightly colored horn and began to stroke from the base up to the middle. He had no idea that horns were so sensitive but it was obvious by the hard object in Gamzee's pants pressing against his thigh that he enjoyed it. Gamzee moaned as he left his mouth to trail kisses down his jaw and neck. His bulge had completely emerged from its protective sheath as it writhed against the inside of his boxers no doubt staining them purple. He bucked his hips against the hard member hidden by Tavros's thin boxers bringing a gasp from his dry lips.

His hand traveled down to the front of the boxers and gave it an experimental rub. The moan that came from Tavros was so wonderfully needy and sweet. He pulled down the boxers helping him completely slide them off. They fell from his ankles that dangled over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. Gamzee stroked the length earning him several moans muffled by the back of Tav's hand. He had been curious in the past and looked up human anatomy on the internet. He had found it weird that human females didn't have a bulge and human males didn't have a nook. It had led him on a search to learn how they reproduced which still baffled him.

He suddenly felt very conscious of his alien body. What would Tav's reaction be to the bulge that slithered and rolled between his legs eager to be let out. He didn't have time to decide what he wanted to do before Tav's hands were on his waistband, tugging at the loose material. He pulled away and stood to remove his own pants and boxers. Taking a deep breath he dropped the material to the floor and stepped out of it, waiting for the other boy to react. Tavros sat up on the edge of the bed and stared at the alien anatomy before him. He had learned about it in his health class last year but actually seeing one was something else. He knew that both men and women had the same parts, a fact that was essential to this species reproductive process. He reached out and watched as the purple tinted tentacle wrapped around his fingers and crawled up his wrist. He rubbed circles with his thumb enjoying the way it made Gamzee's breath hitch. Just below the occupied bulge he could see his nook. He was much too nervous to touch there but he couldn't look away.

Gamzee's hands were on his shoulders pushing him back onto the bed before he realized it. The tentacle released his fingers only to wrap around his length when Gamzee settled between his legs. Both boys moaned and gasped at the sudden friction. His bulge wrapped tightly around the other and pumped, slicked by his genetic material. Gamzee rolled his hips against the other to add to the feeling. Tavros bucked his hips up to meet each thrust. His hand was clamped firmly over his mouth to prevent the moans from escaping to be heard by the others in the house. Gamzee buried his face into the caramel skin of his neck as he kissed and licked the sensitive area.

It wasn't long until all of the sensations were tearing through Tavros's body to release on his stomach. He nearly screamed in ecstasy but was silenced by Gamzee's mouth. His trembling fingers rose to stroke one horn while the other ventured lower between his legs. His fingers stroked lightly over the outside of his nook bringing a moan from his lover's lips. His entire body shuddered as purple genetic material oozed from his bulge and onto Tav's stomach to mix with his own. Some dripped from his nook and onto the bed, staining the sheets purple. Their breath came out in shaky gasps as they held each other close. Gamzee smoothed down Tav's mohawk and placed soft kisses across his face before landing on his lips.

"I love you Tav." He whispered against his lips.

"I love you too but I feel really sticky and gross." Tavros grinned, cupping his face with his hand, his thumb resting on the corner of his mouth.

Gamzee chuckled before rolling off of Tav and standing. He pulled his pants on, without boxers, and snuck out of his room to the bathroom. He returned with a wet towel, a dry towel, and a little paper cup of water. He handed Tavros the towel and took a sip from the water, passing it to the other when he was cleaned up. He kicked his pants off and used the towel to clean between his legs. He placed the other towel over the spot of purple on the bed before crawling under the covers with Tavros next to him. They settled into the pillows and pulled each other close. Gamzee placed a soft kiss to Tav's forehead before sleep claimed him.

}:o)(o:{

That was probably my shortest chapter but hey, you got some PBJ lovin' right? Good enough. Never written xenophilia before so that was…interesting. I really like the idea of male and female trolls having the same anatomy. It just makes more sense to me seeing as anyone can fill a pail together regardless of gender.  
Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed that little scene! I know I enjoyed writing it. Writing your OTP is so satisfying. Next chapter may take a while to come out but I'll get it to you as soon as I can!


	7. Chapter 7

So I realized I wrote this a week ago and never posted it. Oops. I've been knitting and going on a Supernatural binge.  
I have this special folder in my email that the FF notices all go to. I realized today that there are 91. I created this folder maybe a week ago. 91? In a week? Really guys? So I'm finally posting this as a thank you I guess. Not all of the notices were for Coexist. Some were for that crappy Dave/John one-shot. As that is over and done with, I guess thanks to those who read and liked that as well? Yea.  
The next chapter is actually written to. So if I can get off of my ass and edit it then double upload day? Wake up at 7am to some nice fresh out of the oven chapters? Or maybe come home from school or work? I don't know. It's nearly 6am and I've been watching Supernatural all night so please bear with me. Beware…typos may ensue! Reading your red checking pens guys.  
This is the original A/N: I'm getting dangerously close to the school break being over. Let's hope I can still remember what high school is like. I haven't been in high school for four years now…yikes.

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter Seven

When Tavros woke he was disoriented. His head hurt and his bottom half felt uncomfortably bare. It took a moment for him to realize that he was being held against a strong chest, a knee curled up between his bare thighs. The even breathing of the body lying next to him was oddly comforting as his head rose and fell with each inhale. Arms circled his shoulders lazily like a constant barrier. He snuggled in Gamzee's covered chest as the memories of what they'd done came crashing down. He was beyond embarrassed by his actions. Every excruciating detail played back in his mind. What would he say when Gamzee woke up?  
He didn't have much time to dwell on it before the troll groaned, sleep melting away. Gamzee rubbed his eyes before tightening his grip on Tav, kissing the top of his head. It was at that moment that the last exchanged words of the night before suddenly flooded Tavros's memory. He'd told Gamzee he loved him and he'd said it back. Or had Gamzee said it first? It was hard to remember. But oh God…his heart was beating rapidly as Gamzee shifted until they were face to face.  
"Morning." The troll grinned, kissing the other briefly.  
"Mmm." He'd meant to say 'morning' but couldn't get his mouth to form actual words.  
"How are you feeling?" He was wondering if he felt sick after drinking so much but Tavros misunderstood and flushed visibly as he stumbled over his words.  
"I…I'm fine. I mean…I don't regret it. Or, um…I really like you so it's…I…uh…" He couldn't look at Gamzee as he tried to string together words into a legible sentence.  
Gamzee cocked an eyebrow and laughed, capturing Tavros's lips to silence him. He could feel the heat on the other's cheeks as he held his face between his hands. When he pulled away Tavros's eyes were still screwed shut.  
"I meant, how's your hangover?" He asked, laying light kisses on closed eyelids.  
"F-fine." He whispered. "My head hurts."  
Gamzee pulled him tight against his chest, kissing his forehead. "I'll get you some pain killers. I think Karbro has some in the bathroom cabinet."  
"I should…probably go home. My dad must be worried." He opened his eyes to stare into purple irises.  
"Not a problem. Your bro said he'd cover that so you didn't have to worry. Besides, I'm not lettin' you go anywhere today." Gamzee grinned.  
"But…I need a shower." Tavros was nearly pouting by this point. His head hurt, he was more than a little sick to his stomach, and he felt sweaty and gross.  
"You can shower here."  
"I can't…" His face grew ten times redder as he avoided looking at Gamzee.  
"You're already naked, what's the problem?" Gamzee smirked.  
"My legs…they can't get wet. I have a…" He hesitated, covering his hands with his face. "I have a shower chair at home I have to use." His words ran together and were muffled by his hands but somehow Gamzee understood.  
His smile grew, revealing sharp fangs and making his mischievous grin look even more devious. "I think I know of a motherfuckin' way around that."  
One arm slid under Tavros's artificial legs as the other circled under his shoulders. Wrapping a sheet around them firmly, he stood with Tavros in his arms Princess style. Luckily they didn't run into either of his housemates on the way to the bathroom which was vacant as well. Gamzee set him down on the closed lid of the toilet, the sheet slipping from his shoulders leaving him completely exposed. Not that it really mattered as his bulge was hidden away. Either way, he didn't seem to mind as he went to the shower and turned on the water, peeling off his shirt. He retrieved the bottle of pain killers from the cabinet, shaking two out on his hand before handing them to Tav followed by a little paper cup of cold water. Tavros mumbled a thank you before swallowing both pills and downing the water.  
Gamzee knelt in front of him, searching around his thigh for the release to his plastic and metal legs. With a bit of help from Tavros the legs were unlatched, removed and placed against the wall. Tavros blushed feeling even more exposed and vulnerable without his legs. He was urged to take his shirt off until he was completely bare in front of the other. In one swoop Gamzee lifted him into his arms, his thighs on either side of the troll's hips. Tav wrapped his arms tightly around his shoulders, holding on for dear life. Gamzee stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind him. The warm water washed over their bodies making Tavros shiver.  
"Gamzee, I, uh, don't think it's a good idea to shower like this." He squirmed, wishing he had his legs.  
"It's ok. I've got you."  
"But…I'm heavy and you could slip."  
"Relax." He nibbled and sucked at Tavros's neck leaving little red marks in a trail down his shoulder.  
Tavros sighed, content in his boyfriend's arms, his back to the tiled wall as the warm water sprayed down on them. Gamzee kissed up to his jaw, then his cheek before landing on his lips. The kiss was slow and sweet, their tongues rubbing together with love rather than lust. They were lost in each other, oblivious to the world around them.  
They jumped when a fist pounded on the door followed by Karkat's voice. "Gamzee, hurry the fuck up. You're not the only one who needs to shower!" He yelled.  
"We'll be out in a minute!" Gamzee called back.  
Tav's eyes widened, a generous blush dusting his cheeks. "We? Oh my God Gamzee, we share that shower!" Karkat yelled, his voice getting farther away as he quickly made his way down the hall to his bedroom. A door slammed in the distance.  
Gamzee laughed as he claimed Tavros's lips and tongue once again. There was no way they were going to get a proper shower like this so they might as well enjoy the secluded feeling the shower gave them while they could. They finally left the hot flow of water when Karkat dared to knock on the door again ten minutes later saying they had better "get their asses out of the shower and leave it sparkling clean and sanitized". Gamzee placed Tavros back on the toilet lid while he dug around the cabinet for towels. He grabbed a royal purple robe off the hook by the door and draped it around Tav's shoulders. He slid his arms into the warm sleeves while Gamzee wrapped a towel around his own waist. He lifted Tav into his arms once more, his legs dangling from one hand as they left the bathroom and went back to the bedroom. Gamzee laid him back on the bed before climbing in next to him.  
"Gamzee, we should get dressed at least." Tavros said, pulling the fluffy material of the robe closer to his chest.  
"Nah, clothing will get in the way later when we decide to have some fun." He replied, pulling the blankets over them and kissing his blushing lover.

They had stayed in bed for a few more hours cuddling, talking and kissing. As Gamzee had predicted things got a bit heated. He experimented with his tongue on Tav's length though he didn't do much more, worried about his sharp teeth. Tavros had definitely enjoyed that. He'd rubbed Gamzee's horns, scratching lightly at the area where the base met his scalp. He was surprised when the troll climaxed just from that but felt slightly proud with his amateur skills.  
After they'd calmed down and cleaned up they'd gotten dressed and went downstairs to eat. They'd convinced Sollux and Karkat to go out to a restaurant with them. They hadn't left the house much since moving there and needed to get used to the town and the people who lived there if they were going to survive. They had certainly gotten surprised looks from some of the other people on the street and in the restaurant. It put Karkat in a foul mood leaving Sollux to calm him down. Still, they enjoyed their lunch and walked around shops for a bit afterward. It was sunny and warm which caused a bit of a problem for the trolls. Sollux's glasses helped and Gamzee's hair hung in front of his eyes acting as a shield. After a bit of fighting they'd finally managed to force a baseball cap onto Karkat's head. It definitely helped but he was too stubborn to admit it. He complained for nearly as hour that the hat aggravated his horns.  
When a couple of girls became interested in them things had only gotten worse. They were asking questions about being trolls, what they were doing there, and if they'd be attending the high school. They slipped some innocent flirting in, mostly directed at Sollux which angered Karkat. Sol didn't care much as humans didn't interest him. He hadn't spoken one word to Tavros all day. Or since they met for that matter. But Karkat, already disliking humans, cared quite a bit. He'd glared at them and stood close to his matesprit. After making him suffer for a suitable amount of time Sollux draped his arm around Karkat's shoulders with a smirk, pulling him close.  
Tavros stifled a chuckle but Gamzee wasn't as considerate, ruffling Karkat's hair and calling him cute. From there they headed back to the house where they cuddled up on the couches and watched one of Karkat's romcoms which Tavros surprisingly enjoyed. They headed to Tav's house afterward where his dad was more than willing to fill them up with a large dinner. Sollux and Karkat left a while later loaded down with leftovers Tav's dad had insisted they take with them. Gamzee stayed until the sun had set. He played video games with Rufioh and chatted with their dad, getting to know both better.  
When he left they spent a good ten minutes hugging and kissing on the back porch before reluctantly releasing each other. They had school in the morning and had to sleep eventually. They were both exhausted from the day anyway but it still would have been nice to spend a bit more time together. Tavros went to bed with a smile on his face as he imagined getting to show off his alien boyfriend at school. He didn't even mind having to wake up early if it meant he'd get to see Gamzee sooner. Eventually he'd dropped off into sleep and dreamt that Gamzee was there with him.

}:o)(o:{

Was there even a point to this chapter? Not really.  
Fluff. Just fluff. A bit boring too. Maybe things will get a bit more exciting since this story has literally been nothing but fluff with a little sprinkling of smut. There will be a bit of conflict in upcoming chapters but nothing really heavy. We still have to find out the issue with Dave, right?  
As always, point out any typos. Seeing as I'm half asleep right now I probably missed some. Especially since I've made about ten just typing this.  
Whenever I can step away from the Winchester boys for more than a few minutes I will edit the next chapter and get that to you too, mkay?


	8. Chapter 8

So I wrote this when I was in my Geology class. It's a three hour class. We had a test that took an hour for everyone to complete. I thought for sure he'd let us go after that. But no. That was followed by an hour long lecture and a thirty minute video on time zones. In Geology? Really? I just want to look at rocks and study volcanoes…  
Part of it was written while I was in between classes since I typically have an hour and a half between them. More if I get out of Geology early. I sat in the café, eating my lunch (dinner. Whatever you want to call it. It was 5pm) and writing GamTav in my notebook…  
Priorities.  
I guess studying rocks inspires me? I didn't get out of my second class until 8 and didn't get home until close to 9 so…I'm kind of exhausted. I'm going to type this up and get it out to you guys soon hopefully. This should be a double update day seeing as chapter 7 is done but not uploaded yet. Yay?  
Also, please forgive anything wrong with the high school setting. I haven't been in a high school for nearly four years. I'm running on memory here.

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter Eight

Gamzee's grip on Tav's hand tightened as they pulled up to the school. He was surprisingly nervous for a guy that could care less about public opinion. Still, he'd been difficult to get out of the house. Tavros was going to catch a ride with his brother and Damara but Karkat had used him as bait to get Gamzee into the car. It had worked of course. Though he did spend the entire ride complaining about conspiracy plots against him. He sounded like a child trying to convince his parents he was too sick to go to school. Karkat put his face in his hands and sighed, begging the clown boy to shut up. Tavros tried his best to silence him with small kisses but it only paused his tirade momentarily.  
Now that they were at the school he was silent. His painted smile showed the opposite of his emotions, nearly hiding the grimace as he was pulled from the car. Tavros had to unbuckle his seatbelt and lure him out of the backseat with promises of sloppy make outs during lunch. He reluctantly gave in and held onto Tav like a security blanket as they passed through the double doors.  
It felt like everyone was staring at them as they made their way down the hall. Trolls? In our school? Really? And three of them no less! Of course people were bound to stare. Some had seen them at the party of course, but now those people gawked as well as they got their second glance at Gamzee and took in the two new trolls. Luckily their schedules had been mailed to them over break so there was no need to check into the office for anything. They had a good fifteen minutes to kill before class. They located their lockers before wandering the halls a bit trying to avoid the eyes that followed them.  
Karkat was in Tavros's first class which actually seemed to calm the troll. Sollux left them to find his class while the other two walked Gamzee to his class. He groaned and clung to Tavros, his head on his shoulder.  
"Don't make me go in there." He whined.  
Tavros chuckled as he rubbed circles into his boyfriend's back. "You'll be fine. It's not that scary."  
"Why can't I be in your classes?" He stood up straight, his arms still around Tav, a pout set into place.  
"Because you're a senior. We have a class together later on and we have lunch together."  
He was still pouting as Tavros wriggled out of his hold. "I have to go. I'm going to be late." Tav said, avoiding Gamzee's reaching hands.  
"Which means I'll be late. Stop whining like a wriggler." Karkat grumbled.  
"Good luck kiss?" Gamzee's bottom lip jutted out in a fresh pout.  
Tavros glanced up and down the hall before standing on his toes and placing a quick kiss to his lips.  
"Oh my God." Karkat sighed as he dragged Tavros down the hall toward their class. "Go to class asshole!" He called over his shoulder as the warning bell rang.  
With a grimace, Gamzee entered the waiting classroom.  
Tavros and Karkat had somehow made it to their class on time and managed to snag two seats next to each other. When the teacher asked Karkat to introduce himself to the class he'd gotten a look on his face that made Tavros laugh, earning him a glare from the troll.  
"My name is Karkat Vantas and yes I'm a troll. I was only a grub when we left so no, I don't remember a lot about Alternia. Tavros wipe that damn grin off your face! You're getting some sick enjoyment out of this you freaking asshat! Can I sit down now?" The teacher reprimanded him for swearing before she let him take his seat.  
Class had gone rather smoothly from there. Tav had his next class with Nepeta and their friend Jade. He wasn't surprised to see Sollux in his third class. He was surprised when the troll took the seat next to him. Aradia sat on Tav's other side as always. When the teacher instructed the class to break into groups the three pushed their desks together. Sollux spoke to him for possibly the first time since they'd met. He'd hit it off with Aradia as well which made working together a breeze. Tav was alone in his fourth class, which was uneventful and boring. Finally the bell rang for lunch.  
Tavros ran into Feferi and Eridan who walked with him to the planned meeting spot. When he rounded the corner he was attacked by Gamzee who began placing a tsunami of kisses to his face.  
"Down boy." Karkat teased, tugging on the hood of his jacket.  
Tavros allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. They received odd looks from others around them. But that was to be expected right? They were both boys, one of them an alien, living in a rural country town. To the trolls their relationship was as normal as any other. But any human would view them as a homosexual couple. Not only would they be faced with homophobia, they'd most likely meet xenophobia along the way. Some humans still feared the trolls. They had grey skin, sharp teeth, pointy orange horns and scary claws. They weren't "normal", they were strange and unusual creatures. Unnatural. However, Tavros could care less about that as he rested his forehead against his boyfriend's chest.  
Sollux and Aradia joined their group before they headed to the cafeteria to buy lunch. They chose to eat outside as the weather was nice. They found a nice shady area to sit where they wouldn't be bothered and the troll's eyes weren't exposed to too much sunlight. Gamzee pulled Tavros to sit in front of him between his legs with Tav's back to his chest. He enjoyed the way his human matesprit fit perfectly in his arms. Gamzee didn't eat much. He wasn't feeling very hungry and mostly ate the things Tav fed him when he saw he wasn't eating. He kept his face burrowed in Tavros's mohawk through most of lunch only lifting his head to speak every so often.  
Being in school gave him a headache and caused the voices to start up. They were the voices of his ancestors reminding him of his place on the hemospectrum, telling him to make the others bow at his feet. Of course blood color didn't matter here. Unfortunately, there wasn't any sopor slime on Earth. When he'd stayed the night with Tav he'd taken sleeping pills that knocked him out that prevented nightmares. They worked to an extent. All trolls took them but they were still faced with the occasional nightmare. There had been a small supply of sopor when they first arrived. Scientists had created a fake sopor which made up the majority of the pills. It wasn't toxic like their slime so it didn't affect them the way straight sopor would have.  
For most trolls the pills ability to act like sopor but keep them sane was a blessing. For Gamzee, it was a nightmare in itself. The sopor had kept out the voices. He'd been poisoning himself to quiet his brain. It put him in a half awake dazed state that made everything simply miraculous. When he'd nearly snapped Karkat forced him to go to a doctor. They compared his symptoms to those in schizophrenic humans and gave him drugs meant to control the mental illness. He'd kept that hidden from Tavros so far without an issue though he'd probably have to tell him eventually. He feared it would scare him away. It had once before. No. He wasn't supposed to think about that. Nothing really set him off but being in a controlled environment where he had to follow low blood human rules, he got worse.  
Keeping Tav close relaxed him. His warm body, melodic voice and wonderful scent calmed him almost as much as the sopor once had. Wasn't there a saying? Being high on love or something like that. Gamzee could relate.  
When everyone had finished their meals they still had twenty minutes before the end of lunch. The group walked around the campus showing the trolls the good placing to hide out when skipping class and the fasted routes to avoid crowds and roadblocks in the halls. Gamzee kept his arm around Tavros's shoulder. In turn, he latched his arm around Gamzee's waist sending a wave of warm vibrations through the troll nearly drawing out a purr. Making that low rumbling noise for your matesprit was a sign of affection and he wasn't going to let it out when they were surrounded by others no matter how comfortable he felt.  
Tavros dreaded his next class. He had Troll History, the class he was failing. Sure, now that he was dating a troll he was eager to learn more about their culture. Remembering he zoned out and missed a lot of information dulled that enthusiasm. Karkat was in this class as well. He signed up figuring it would be an easy A whether he stayed awake in class or not. Gamzee and Sollux walked them to the class not wanting to part just yet. Upon seeing the three trolls the teacher all but dragged them into the room. She was overly excited to have a troll in her class to Karkat's dismay. She made plans for later in the week to steal the other two boys from their classes to talk to the class about their culture. Her eyes lit up with interest when Gamzee kissed Tavros's forehead before leaving.  
As was expected, she made a big deal about having a troll with them in the beginning of class causing Karkat to put his head down by the end of it. Tavros paid closer attention to this class than ever before and put more notes in his notebook than doodles this time. The teacher spoke about the trolls' horns and how they were very sensitive to even the slightest touch. Tavros didn't look up from his desk while she spoke about this. He knew firsthand how sensitive horns were having got Gamzee off by licking, stroking and nibbling his horns. Karkat groaned quietly, with his hands pressing firmly to his ears, wishing he'd rethought this class choice.  
His next class was boring. So boring. Who wouldn't find math mind numbing? He was looking forward to his last class for a variety of reason. First being that his seventh, and last, class of the day was cooking. He really enjoyed cooking though that wasn't much of a surprise seeing as his dad was a fiend in the kitchen. The second reason being that he really loved the teacher. He was incredibly friendly and let them choose their own recipes rather than assigning them. The final reason: he had this class with Gamzee. During the break they had spent every day together aside from that day of confusion. Today he had hardly seen him at all. It would be nice to spend their last class together before heading home. He was sure he would lose it if they hadn't had at least one hour together. Lunch just wasn't enough.  
Gamzee wasn't yet there when he arrived. He sat at one of the tables, setting his bag on the empty seat beside him and watching the door. The warning bell rang and Tavros began to wonder if Gamzee got lost trying to find the class. The room was nearly full when he finally saw orange horns bobbing above the flow of students in the hall. Eventually Gamzee made it to the classroom looking exhausted and ready to collapse. He gave Tav a tired smile when he saw him and quickly crossed the room. He took his seat and dropped his head onto Tavros's shoulder, his horns knocking gently against his head.  
"I'm tired." Gamzee yawned.  
"Didn't you sleep last night?" Tav asked as he clasped Gamzee's hand beneath the table.  
"Yes."  
"Did you really?"  
"Maybe three hours."  
"You need more sleep than that!"  
"It's hard to sleeping when you're not there. That motherfucking bed is cold as fuck."  
Tavros grinned and squeezed the grey fingers that sat in the palm of his hand. Dave strode into class just as the late bell rang. It was hard to say if he was looking at the interspecies couple behind those ridiculous aviators he wore as he descended upon them. He claimed the empty seat next to Gamzee without a word. Tavros kept his eyes on the desk in front of him as he absently squeezed the troll's fingers in search of comfort. Gamzee shifted his eyes between the two feeling the tension he seemed to be caught in the middle of.  
Class started and they were put to work searching through recipe books for the dishes they wanted to make. The class was only an hour long so they usually planned their recipes and signed up for the kitchen utensils and oven use. It took some time to make anything but there were only twelve people in the small classroom broken into four groups. The class was close to starting when Tavros remembered who he was in a group with before the beginning of break.  
Tavros selected three books from the bookshelf before returning to their table and passing them down. Gamzee asked Tavros questions about different foods he didn't recognize and tried to engage group discussions. Dave kept his mouth shut. With only nods from Dave they managed to decide who would be in charge of which course. Dave took appetizers, Tav claimed the main course and Gamzee gladly accepted dessert. When their menu was planned there was nothing to do but wait for class to be over.  
The awkward tension finally taking its toll on Gamzee, he turned to Dave with a grin. "Hey brother, I'm Gamzee. Sorry I wasn't all for introducing myself earlier."  
Dave turned his head and with a nod introduced himself. "It's cool. I'm Dave." There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "Weren't you at Nepeta's party the other day?"  
"Yea, I was there with Tav." He leaned back, draping his arm around his matesprit's shoulders.  
Tavros turned away from the two having no interest in communicating with the blonde human. Dave turned his head away as well, his attention going back to his phone.  
He left before the others when the bell finally rang. Tavros visibly relaxed when he was gone. Interest peaked, Gamzee cornered the smaller boy when they were out in the hall.  
"What's going on between you and that Strider bro?" He asked not liking the way he flinched away from him.  
"What do you mean?"  
"It wasn't exactly easy planning the menu when you two wouldn't say one word to each other."  
"We just don't…get along. That's all." Seeing the unconvinced look he received, he sighed and slumped against the wall. "I'll tell you later, ok?"  
Gamzee agreed as they went to collect their belonging from the lockers and leave. They were silent on the ride home though the car was full of Karkat's fresh rants about the school, his classes, and the other students. Gamzee couldn't help noticing how uncomfortable Tavros looked as he stared out the window. Reaching a hand out, he began to pet the short fluffy mohawk atop his boyfriend's head making him jump in surprise. Eventually Tav relaxed into Gamzee's arms for the remainder of the car ride.

}:o)(o:{

This chapter is boring. I'm sorry. Being in school made me want to write about school? I don't know…ugh…eventually I'll get on track and actually remember that this story has a plot! I promise you that it does.  
You guys thought I forgot about troll nightmares and Gamzee's sopor addiction didn't you? No, unfortunately I am one of those annoying people that remember every excruciating detail. I've just been trying to figure out how to work that in there. Cause obviously Tav can't sleep in a recuperacoon with Gamzee if he's human. I was playing around with the idea of Gamzee having a day bed and he slept in sopor but how would he deal with the nightmares when Tav stayed the night with him? Hopefully the use of a sleep aid makes sense to you guys. Also, I don't know if comparing Gamzee to someone with schizophrenia is a problem for some of you. If it is I'm sorry. There had to be some way to control his subjugglator ways, right? If he doesn't have the poison of sopor, what would he have? I really don't want to go too far into the whole Grand High Blood and Condesce dealing with living on Earth since the hemospectrum isn't even a thing when classifying whether a human is high or low class. Cause hey, we all have the same blood!  
I really want this to be a light and fluffy fic. No one is going to die, no one will be sexually assaulted or end up in the hospital for any varying reasons. That's not what this fic is about. Having that much conflict in a fanfiction just isn't worth it either. Even the thing with Dave is just a small silly thing that happened pre-fic. So please don't think too far into all of this! I'll answer any questions you have about this AU, I'll take suggestions into account as well and please don't feel like you can't tell me if something is wrong with this fic or concerns you. Even if you want to send me a PM rather than leave a review I don't mind. I really want to know what you guys are feeling about this AU! I'm sorry, I crave feedback.


	9. Chapter 9

Jfc I wrote this forever ago and forgot to upload it. I'm kind of frustrated with this fic. I'm trying so hard to actually work a plot in but it's basically just mindless fluff. I could do so much more with this AU than I am. I've played around with the idea of starting over but I'm too lazy for that. Basically, this fic may be longer than I intended. It was going to end at 10 but that's definitely not gonna happen now. I promise I'll try to make it better!

}:o)(o:{

Coexist  
Chapter Nine

Tavros sat across from Gamzee on the purple bed. He had been dragged to their house against his will after school. He'd said he would tell him about Dave later, but he hadn't expected later to be so soon. Gamzee's legs were stretched out on either side of his thighs, keeping him trapped on the bed. If he tried to scramble over him to escape he was sure the troll would have him pinned down in a matter of seconds. Violet eyes bore into amber as he tried to collect his thoughts and find a starting point. He didn't really want to think about the incident, let alone tell it to someone else. The one person he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of. But there was no escape in site and he was sure Gamzee wasn't going to let it pass. Since they'd met he'd wanted to absorb every bit of information on Tav that he could, though he was surprisingly silent about his own life.

"Dave and I used to be friends." He started, staring at his hands rather than the troll. "I dated Vriska for a while when we were freshman. It didn't last long. We stayed friends though and she met John who is really great. He's super nice and funny and they're really good together. His best friend is Dave, which is how we met him to begin with. Otherwise I'm not sure we would have ever exchanged one word with each other. They both started hanging out with us pretty regularly and Dave and I…hit it off I guess you could say."

He glanced up at Gamzee's face but his features were unreadable. Tav cleared his throat and continued. "I thought he was a tool at first but quickly learned that he's actually really insecure and kind of a dork. Especially about his eyes, which is why he wears those silly shades all the time. I kind of…fell for that side of him. Not the stoic prick he was at school, but the goofy idiot he was when we were alone. Anyway, long story short, he's straight, I made a fool of myself, and that's why we don't talk anymore. End of story."

Gamzee let out a long sigh before he spoke. "You…liked him?"

"Well, yea."

"Do you still like him?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Gamzee, are you, uh, jealous?" He asked, trying to prevent the startled laugh that tried to escape. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to hide the smile.

"Of course I am! My matesprit just told me he likes some other motherfucker."

"Liked. Past tense. And that was before I met you."

"Doesn't matter." Gamzee's eyebrows furrowed, his lips set into a frown.

Tavros leaned forward and kissed his pouting lips. "Relax. We don't even talk anymore."

Gamzee sighed again, a grimace setting in. "Well you should. It would make planning menus a hell of a lot easier. It's weird with no one talkin' but me."

"Yea…I guess. It will be really awkward though. I don't know what to say to him and I don't know if he'd respond. I mean, I came onto him and he must hate me now."

"I hate to admit it, but he seems like a pretty chill dude. Things are only awkward if you let them be." He shrugged, leaning forward and draping his arms around Tav's shoulders. "Now, enough talkin' about some guy you used to be flushed for. Maybe I can help you with your troll history class. Teach you all about anatomy." He purred into Tav's ear.

Tavros blushed and shivered as Gamzee's sharp fangs gently nibbled on his earlobe. He put his hands on the troll's chest and pushed lightly. "No, stop. Homework first."

Gamzee groaned, his head falling to Tav's shoulder. "Didn't I get enough of that in school?"

"Yes. But the school system likes to pretend that they own us. All of our free time is filled up with homework. That's the way it works."

Gamzee's groaned again, pulling Tavros closer before falling back on the bed, pulling the startled boy with him until they were lying together. Tav squirmed and tried to pull himself out of Gamzee's arms to no avail. After struggling against surprising strength for a few minutes, he gave up and settled into the other's chest.

"Just let me sleep for a little while. Then I promise I'll do the motherfucking homework."

Tavros silently agreed by wrapping his arms around Gamzee's slim frame and burying his face into his shirt, inhaling his scent. Being in school had been difficult. After spending every waking hour with Gamzee for over a week, going seven hours without him was hard. Sure, they hadn't let each other go at all during lunch, but that wasn't enough. It scared him how much he needed Gamzee to be there. What would it be like if he ever lost him? Shaking that thought out of his head, he closed his eyes and tried to relax. He might as well get some sleep too. Truth be told, he'd had a hard time sleeping last night without Gamzee there too.

By the time Tavros woke the sky outside had darkened completely and the house was silent. He was still curled up in Gamzee's arms though at some point they maneuvered under the blankets. He reached into his pocket, where his phone was tucked away, to check the time only to find that he'd missed six calls from his dad, four from Rufioh and about twenty text messages. He read through the texts, some from either of his relatives. They went from worry, to anger, and back to worry. He pried himself from Gamzee's arms and went out into the quiet hallway. In the distance he could hear Sollux and Karkat talking downstairs. It couldn't be too late if they were still up, right? He dialed Rufioh's number, knowing he'd probably be awake no matter what time it was. It only rang twice before his brother was on the other line.

"Where the hell are you?" He demanded, skipping the typical hello.

"I'm at Gamzee's place."

"Why didn't you call? Or at least text? Do you know how worried we've been?"

"I'm sorry. I fell asleep. I'll head home in a few."

"Don't bother. It's almost two in the morning. You don't need to be walking home this late."

"I'm right next door."

"There's about a half mile between our houses Tav, with an expanse of wooded area between them. I don't think so."

"I can't just invite myself to stay the night."

"Like it'll actually be a problem for that dopey clown." There was a hint of teasing in his voice as he sighed. "I'll let dad know what happened but I can't save you tomorrow. Make sure you come home right after school, you hear?"

"Yea. I will."

He hung up with his brother before sneaking back into the room. Gamzee was awake and propped up on his elbows, his eyebrows raised in an unspoken question. Tav let out a puff of air before crossing the room and flopping down onto the bed beside him.

"We slept for a really long time." Tav commented, covering his eyes with his arm.

"Yea, I guess so." Gamzee stared out of the darkened window, absently scratching at his neck.

"My dad is pissed because I didn't call him. Rufioh is going to try to smooth things over but I'm pretty sure I'm screwed."

"I'm sorry. It's my fault."

"No. I should have known better. I kept waking up last night and panicking because you weren't there before I remembered it was a school night. I was tired and your bed is so comfortable and warm…I couldn't help it."

Gamzee grinned as he leaned over and placed a kiss to Tavros's lips. "Well, we've got all motherfucking night now, don't we?" He asked before going in for another kiss, this time his lips parted and his tongue darted out to tangle with the others.

Tav's arm fell away from his eyes and instead wrapped itself around the back of Gamzee's neck as he allowed himself to be pulled under the other boy's weight. His fingers tangled in the messy black hair, groaning quietly into the kiss. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, blood rushed past his ears blocking out all other noises around them, and his entire body tingled at the way Gamzee's fingers trailed down his sides. They had broken the kiss, staring into each other's eyes for a heated moment before they were startled into an upright position by a pounding at the door.

"Wake up! I need help with this damned homework!" Karkat yelled through the door.

"Shit…I forgot about homework." Tav grumbled, detaching himself from Gamzee and grabbing his bag from the floor by the bed. He headed to the door before turning back to stare at Gamzee, who was still stretched out on the bed. "You might want to come too. If you don't do your homework now you'll fall into a bad habit and fail your classes."

With a defeated sigh, he stood and grabbed his bag as well before following the two downstairs. The next hour was filled with text books, math questions and notebooks. When they were finally finished Sollux yawned, his split tongue becoming visible and making Tavros cringe.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed. KK, are you coming?" He asked, heading toward the stairs.

"Yea, give me a minute." He mumbled, staring at his textbook with an angry glare. "How the hell do I not know these things? This is troll history and I'm a troll! I thought this would be an easy class."

"It's not so bad." Tavros tried to encourage him.

"Says the one who's failing."

Tavros smiled and shook his head, packing up his bag. It was close to 3am now and he was starving having not eaten since lunch the day before. His stomach growled to emphasize its current empty status. Hearing the noise and getting the hint, Gamzee disappeared into the kitchen. He emerged a few minutes later with two sandwiches. Karkat had given up and gone to bed while he was busying himself making the food. He sat next to Tav on the floor in front of the coffee table and handed him one of the plates.

"What is it?" Tavros asked, inspecting the sandwich.

"Peanut butter and jelly. Try it. It's a million times better with the jelly." Upon seeing the skeptical look on his matesprit's face, he continued. "The peanut butter is all lonely without the jelly. Sure they're both good on their own, but once you add the jelly they get all squished together and it tastes fucking miraculous."

Tavros laughed at his ridiculous boyfriend before he gave in and took a bite of the sandwich. He was right, the peanut butter he loved was there but when combined with the grape jelly it tasted different. Sweeter. Not at all unpleasant. When they had finished eating they'd curled up on the couch under a throw blanket and switched on the TV. It wasn't long before they had fallen asleep again. They didn't wake up until morning when Karkat was yelling at them, saying they'd be late for their prison sentence.

The day went well for the most part. Tavros had borrowed some of Gamzee's clothes since he didn't have time to run home first. When Rufioh saw his little brother the next morning he'd given him a stern lecture before putting him in a headlock and refusing to let go until they were through the school doors. At lunch Gamzee had clung to Tavros yet again but agreed to eat a bit more this time. Tavros felt anxious all day, dreading having to talk to Dave. By the time cooking came around he was a mess of nerves. He clasped Gamzee's hand tightly, looking for comfort to calm himself. Dave entered the classroom before the late bell rang and took his seat next to Gamzee.

The troll nudged Tav's side indicating that it was time to talk to the boy. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward to see Dave staring down at his phone.

"Hi…Dave." He said rather quietly.

Still, the blonde boy heard him and his head quickly snapped to the side, all of his attention on Tav. His eyebrows were raised so high they could be seen over his aviators, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Hey Tav." He nodded his head in return.

"I, uh, I'm sorry about before…with…you know…"

"Nah, it's cool."

The tension shattered and by the end of class the three were all talking and laughing. They'd parted ways with promises of plans for the weekend. Tav felt a lot better having talked to him. He had been embarrassed and it had been awkward for so long, but he had his friend back now and that's what matters, right? After finally wiggling out of Gamzee's cuddles and kisses, Tav managed to make it to his brother's car. He knew it would be best if he didn't ride home with Gamzee today.

His dad wasn't home from work until around eight so Tav had had time to do his homework and make his dad's favorite dish for dinner to soften him up. He came into the kitchen immediately, coaxed by the smell of food being prepared. Despite the bribe in front of him he still seemed cross with Tav and showed it with his narrowed eyebrows and folded arms.

"We need to talk." He'd said with a voice that meant business.

Tavros nodded and followed him into the living room where he sat on the couch across from his dad's chair. His dad went on about being responsible and letting him know when he'd be home late and who he was with. He talked up his position as a parent, being up at one in the morning not knowing where his kid is and having to get up at 5am for work. Tavros didn't speak, just nodding his head where appropriate. To be honest, he was only half listening to the lecture. It wasn't until the end that his dad had his full attention.

"Now, I think it would be best if you and Gamzee took a break for a little while." He said, sitting back in his chair.

"What?" There was shock, worry and anger all expressed in one word.

"You've been spending far too much time together. I know you like him but too much of one person is unhealthy. For at least a week I want you home directly after school and if you want to hang out with your friends they need to come here."

"But I'm supposed to go over there tomorrow. I'm working on a project with Sollux and Aradia."

"Have them meet here instead."

"But Gamzee...what am I supposed to tell him?"

"That you need to focus on school for a little while. You can still see him during the day when you're at school. I'm not saying you can't see him at all."

Feeling defeated, Tavros made one last attempt. "Can't I at least meet up with him now to tell him?"

"Sure. But I want you back by nine."

Tavros sent a quick text to Gamzee asking him to meet him in the small clearing in the wooded area between their houses. He was there before Gamzee and when the troll emerged from the trees, smile in place, he was being pulled into a hug.

"What's wrong?" Gamzee asked, noticing the disappointed look plastered to Tav's face.

"My dad wants me to, uh, stop seeing you for a while."

"I don't understand."

"He says we need to take a break. For a week. I can see you in school but not afterward."

Gamzee was quiet for a moment, his hands clasped tightly on Tav's shoulders. "I can't go a whole week without seeing you. I'll lose my mind."

"It'll be fine. I think. We'll still see each other at school."

"That's not enough."

"It has to be."

Tavros had a finalizing tone to his voice that told Gamzee they had no choice but to accept. He didn't have a parental figure so he didn't quite understand why Tavros had to do what he said. He hated it. He needed to be near Tav. How would he go a week without being able to cuddle with him in bed, or kiss him whenever he pleased? It was going to be difficult and the weekend would probably kill him. But what could he do? Absolutely nothing.

}:o)(o:{

Does that count as drama? Or just plot? I don't know. This is a setup chapter for the next I guess. Bleh


End file.
